The Billion Dollar Rake
by shooting star 0160
Summary: He's HANDSOME, He's RICH and He's SINGLE. Will the famous Natsume Hyuuga ever find the perfect match? Or will he forever be known as the 'Billion-Dollar Rake? NatsumeXMikan; RukaXHotaru
1. Rake

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DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Gakuen Alice. All credits go to the great Higuchi Tachibana.

a/n: I just wanna explain the term "RAKE" in modern language simply means a "playboy"

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**_Chapter 1._** **_Rake_**

_"It's a truth universally acknowledged that a man in possession of a respectable_

_fortune must be in want of an heir, wrote the famous 19th century writer, __Jane Austen. _

_Well not this particular handsome, definitely eligible, and stubbornly single billion-dollar bachelor._

_Enter Hyuuga Natsume; businessman, lawyer and resident over-achiever/ genius. _

_This 21-year old heir to the Hyuuga Empire has shown no signs of succumbing_

_to Matrimonial Bliss, not in the near, foreseeable future anyway. The stubborn bachelor_

_has been avoiding any talk about marriage for as long as the world have established_

_the fact that the sky is blue and that night comes after day. Indeed, we wonder if we will_

_ever see the day that this bachelor walks down the aisle."_

_-Bachelor's Weekly_

_"It looks to us as if Hyuuga Natsume, heir to the Hyuuga fortune, current President _

_and C.E.O of the Ruby Chain of Hotels, a subsidy of the Hyuuga Group of Companies_

_won't be facing the altar anytime soon. We recently spotted the handsome bachelor in _

_attendance at an A-List event, hosted by his bestfriend and business associate, _

_Nogi Ruka; only son of the rich Fortune 500 couple, Mr. & Mrs. Takeshi Nogi, with_

_his girlfriend of the month, model Olivia Taylor. Mr. Hyuuga have been known_

_to change his girlfriend with the drop of a hat or if one wanted to be particular,_

_in the blink of an eye. We wonder how long Ms. Taylor will last? _

_Our guess? __A month. At the most."_

_-Billionare Times-_

_"Hyuuga Natsume is indeed one of the most reprihensible Rakes around._

_He works hard and he plays even harder. He is often seen with models, actresses._

_singers and what not, and beat this dear readers, beat this: He has never been_

_seen with the same girl for morethan a few weeks at a time. This guy, in my opinion_

_knows his appeal and don't even get me started with that dreamy eyes he's got,_

_and it doesn't hurt that __he's got tons of money too. __He has been __named as _

_The Richest and Most Influential Young Businessman of his generation,_

_the second being his long time bestfriend, Nogi Ruka. Dream on,_

_All you ladies in love with __this duo, dream on. Coz' that's the best_

_shot you've got._

_-Melissa's Society Papers_

"I like this bit about my eyes." Hyuuga Natsume told his besfriend with a devilish grin on his face from the back of his oak desk.

"Yeah. Dreamy eyes huh?" He snorted. "I personally hate being the subject of that darned Melissa woman." Ruka mumbled crossly.

"Yours aren't that bad. At least you haven't been referred to as a _'reprihensible rake'._" Natsume said, annoyance evident in his voice.

"In fact, it hasn't escaped my notice that she referred to you as my antithesis. You've been described as infinitely kind and loyal, whereas the only compliment I've got is that I have _'dreamy eyes'._" He told his friend

"Yet I notice that I haven't been commented on having _'dreamy eyes'_ as well." Ruka smiled at his friend.

Indeed, it has been commented that he and Natsume couldn't be more different from each other. Ruka loved to spend his night in peace, preferring to drink in classy bars while Natsume loved the clubs. Ruka kept his distance from the ladies while Natsume loved all the attention that he's getting from the female half of the population. Yet, they're as good friends as friends can be.

"I don't really like that woman. She thinks she knows everything. It's a bit annoying really but the entire world reads her so we can't really do anything." Natsume added.

"Just let her be, Natsume. She's harmless, and besides she's not the only one saying that you're the worst playboy of this century. Even I agree." He teased.

"It's not really my fault that all those women shove themselves to me you know. And besides, who am I to refuse?" He grinned.

Ruka smiled at that. "Yeah, who are you to refuse indeed."

"Which reminds me. Where's that model you attended my party with, Olivia. Her name's Olivia right? I never could keep track of all your girlfriends' names. How do you ever manage to remember their names, anyway?" Ruka said.

"The Lord knows that I've been thought as dull more times that I can count because of that habit you've got." Ruka muttered darkly.

"The girl I took during your party? Yeah, I think that was Olivia. To answer your first question, I dunno where she is nor do I care. Her time limit expired 2 days ago. And the second, I don't really remember their names. My secretary does that for me." Natsume said, not without a mischievous grin.

"So that's how you do it. Damn Natsume. You'll have to tell your secretary to clue me in on their names as well. I'm tired of being in the receiving end of the scornful looks your girlfriends give me whenever I mix-up their names." Ruka told his bestfriend pointedly.

"Yeah, yeah. You could have told me earlier you know. It's no wonder none of my previous girlfriends ever liked you for that long." Natsume snorted.

"Yeah? Well I never really liked them either." Ruka told Natsume with uncharacteristic defiance.

"Don't be so defensive, Ruka. All I'm saying is you really have to practice on the Ladies Department." Natsume smirked at him.

"You know I'm not really interested in that, right? Damn, if I was I would have started long ago, but as it is, I don't like all those air-headed bimbos you tote around."

Natsume raised his brows at that.

"Air-headed bimbos? C'mon, Ruka they aren't as bad as that. Some of them actually possess mediocre intelligence." Natsume said with a smile.

Ruka was about to reply when the intercom buzzed and Sheila's voice, Natsume's secretary and the only girl Natsume considers as a friend filled the room.

"Excuse me, sir. Ms. Takahashi of Eternally Beautiful Modelling Agency is here to see you." Sheila's professional and no non-sense voice told Natsume.

Natsume once tried to lure Sheila to bed but to Natsume's surprise Sheila never took him up on his offer. Natsume has considered her as a good friend since that day.

"Yeah. Just give me 5 minutes and let her in. Thanks, Sheila." Natsume replied

"Time for business, huh?"

"Yeah. Time for business. I'll see you tonight? My mother's hosting one of her parties, I gather you have been invited?" Natsume inquired.

"Yep, I'm invited. See you then. Oh, and Natsume? Do try your best not to seduce that poor girl right to your bed." Ruka said with a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. Now leave." Natsume told with his friend with a laugh and a mischeivous glint in his eyes.

The glint in his friend's eyes clearly told Ruka that Ms. Takahashi would indeed end-up in Natsume's bed, and soon.

_'Poor girl, Natsume would seduce her in a blink of an eye, she won't even know what hit her.' _

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a/n: This is my first multi-chaptered fic, so what can you say?? Love it? Hate it? DROP ME A REVIEW, so I can continue! :D


	2. Serendipity

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DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Gakuen Alice. All credits go to the great Higuchi Tachibana.

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**a/n:** I would like to thank all those who have reviewed the last chapter! :D Keep those reviews coming, guys! They inspire me to write longer chapters and update faster! :D

Explanation of terms:

**Serendipity:** _discovery of something fortunate:the accidental discovery of something pleasant, valuable, or useful. This is also synonymous to the words fate, karma and destiny._

**Cerulean:** _of deep blue: of a deep blue color, like the sky on a clear day _

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I realize that some of you may already know what these words mean but I wanted to be on the safe side. I do this so that those who doesn't know the meaning will understand the story better. :D

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**_Chapter 2. Serendipity_**

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...

..

_"A party, hosted by Hyuuga Anko-san, was given as a sign of welcome_

_for the homecoming of Andou Tsubasa-san, international model/actor._

_Tsubasa-san is also an alumni of Alice Academy, a school attended exclusively_

_by the elite. The party, attended by all of society's best; politicians,_

_businessmen, heirs, heiresses and A-list celebrities, was a smashing success._

_-Melissa's Society Papers-_

_..._

_..._

_..._

The elegantly furnished ballroom was filled with people, all sophisticatedly dressed. From the eyes of the ordinary people, who were but mere observers, this was indeed, a sight to behold. Just about everyone of consequence was in attendance in this soirre, all of whom were dressed in their evening's finest. This was one event that they could never afford to miss.

Every little detial was polished, from the uniforms of the evening's servers to the superb food down to the lively music and elegant decorations. Everyone was happily mingling; all merrily laughing or animatedly conversing. Everyone but a certain ruby-eyed billionare that is; our very own, Hyuuga Natsume.

...

...

_'Where the hell is that damn Ruka?' _Natsume thought angrily. The party started a couple of hours ago but not even the shadow of his cerulean-eyed friend could be seen.

_'Damn it all to hell. I dunno what in heaven and hell entered my mind when I agreed to attend this party. I must have had a sudden bout of insanity.' _continued Natsume's most definitely annoyed inner ranting.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone's voice calling out his name

"Natsume, darling! So this is where you were hiding! I have been looking all over for you!" the voice gushed.

Natsume grimaced. Standing before him was the reason why he was in this party in the first place. The only woman in this world he could never, let me stress the word NEVER, refuse or disappoint.

"Mother." Natsume greeted.

Presenting the wife of Hyuuga Kakashi-sama; owner, President and C.E.O of the Hyuuga group, and mother of our story's hero, Natsume; Hyuuga Anko-san. She was wearing a red Armani dress that greatly highlighted the color of her eyes; eyes so like her son. She exudes a certain aura of self-confidence, grace and an underlying friendliness and compassion is clearly visible in her eyes.

"You ought to greet me more enthusiastically, darling. Sometimes I feel so unappreciated." she said with a dramatic sigh.

"I'm sorry, mother." Natsume sighed, then continued, "It's just that these formal gathering aren't really my thing." _'And that idiot Ruka is not yet here, and I was thinking of various ways to make him pay when you came'_ He mentally added_._

"Honestly, between you and your father, I don't know who's worse!" Mrs. Hyuuga said with mock exasperation.

Natsume chose to ignore this comment and instead bitterly muttered "That idiot really better attend or I'll really make him pay. I can't believe that I'm actually stuck here while that moron is probably in a bar somewhere. Drinking."

"What was that, dear?" Mrs. Hyuuga asked sweetly.

"Nothing, mother." Natsume said with a forced smile, then added "You wanted me for something?"

"Oh yes! I almost forgot! Could you give the speech to formally welcome Tsubasa-kun back?" she asked.

"But why me, mother? Speeches aren't my thing either and besides, I hardly know the guy." Natsume said, clearly trying to convince his mother otherwise.

Mrs. Hyuuga dismissed this statement with a wave of her manicured hand. "Pish posh. He was your senpai during your academy days, so it's only proper that you be the one to welcome him back after years of staying abroad. And that's exactly what you are going to do when you give that speech; and that's final, young man. I expect no arguments whatsoever. Understand?" she said pointedly.

Natsume, who was about to protest, immediately shut his mouth at that. There's no going against his mother when she looks that riled up.

"Do you understand, Natsume?" his mother asked again for good measure, her voice velvet over steel.

"Yes mother, I understand." Natsume parroted obediently.

"That's my boy!" she beamed happily.

"Now if you'll excuse me dear, I see Misaki. I need to go and say hello." then added, "and don't forget that speech. I expect you to be on-stage in 20 minutes, okay?"

"Yes, mother. I won't forget." Natsume replied.

...

...

The first thing that entered Ruka's mind when he arrived at the ballroom was amazement over the sheer number of prominent people present. The second thing was that Natsume must really be annoyed at him for arriving 3 and a half hours late.

Hey, it wasn't his fault that he overslept right? He smirked at that, Natsume would even be more annoyed when he finds out that his reason for being late was because he overslept.

After leaving Natsume's office that afternoon, Ruka went home and decided to sleep a bit before preparing for the said party, but what was meant as a short nap turned into a long 4-hour sleep. When he woke up it was already an hour past the start of the party, he took some 30 minutes to freshen-up and get dressed and he spent the rest of the time sitting in traffic.

He was quite certain that Natsume was plenty annoyed at him right now. He wouldn't put it past him, if he has devised some way to make him pay. If there was one thing that Natsume hated the most, it was being late.

Punctuality, Natsume once pointed out, is as important as life itself. Natsume was never late, not for anything and it annoyed him to no end when people made him wait. Nobody made _the_ Hyuuga Natsume wait, nobody except Ruka, that is.

Ruka then proceeded looking for Natsume. He spotted his friend standing at a corner with a glass of wine in his hand, talking to his mother. And judging from the expression in Natsume's face his mother must be asking him to do something that he didn't like. Natsume seems to have been trying to change his mother's mind when a sudden look of resignation crossed his face.

Ruka smiled at that, he was one of the few people who knew that Natsume couldn't deny his mother anything. Natsume's mother left and he started to walked over to where Natsume was and he was about to call his attention when he beat him to it.

...

...

Natsume was standing by himself when he saw Ruka approaching from the other side of the ballroom, for a moment it looked as if Ruka was about to say something but Natsume decided that he wanted to beat him to the punch and so he said the first thing that entered his mind.

"Where the hell were you?" Natsume asked angrily.

"Good evening to you to." Ruka replied with a smirk.

"Don't give me that annoying smirk, you idiot. You're late." Natsume continued crossly.

"Hey, hey, relax. I was caught in a traffic jam, I would have been here hours ago had it not been for that." Ruka grinned mischievously.

"Don't give me that. You live only 40 minutes away from this place." He said matter-of-factly.

"I can't do anything if you refuse to believe me. I saw you with your mother just before I came, what did she want? You looked as if you swallowed something vile." Ruka said with a slight smile.

"Well, you know my mother. She wanted me to give a speech." He said flatly.

"A speech? Whatever for?" Ruka asked, genuine curiosity evident on his face.

"A speech to welcome Andou Tsubasa back to Japan. He's this evening's guest of honor." Natsume explained.

"Oh, I see. Now that you mention it, didn't he attend the Academy with us?" Ruka asked.

"Yeah. He was a few years ahead of us." Natsume answered indifferently.

"I see. Anyway, Natsume. What happened to that girl from this afternoon?" Ruka inquired.

"Girl? What girl?" Natsume asked with a smile.

"Stop fooling around, Natsume. You know full well who I'm referring to." Ruka said crossly.

"She wasn't interesting enough. I decided to forego the plan." Natsume said with a smile.

"Oh. She wasn't interesting enough, huh?" Ruka said with a smile.

Ruka knew for a fact that when Natsume used that reason, he simply meant that the girl was too decent for him to fool. Inspite of what he always say, Natsume actually chose the girls he flirt with. He never flirted with girls who he saw as decent and good; a prime example is Sheila, Natsume's secretary.

"Oi, what time is it Ruka?" Natsume suddenly asked.

"Half-past 10. Why?" Ruka asked.

"I need to give my speech just about now. My mother's gonna kill me if I turn-up late." Natsume grimaced.

"It's only been 10 minutes since your mother left." Ruka said with a patronizing smile.

"She said that I had to give the speech in 20 minutes. It's still better to arrive early." Natsume stated.

"Alright, alright. I haven't greeted your mother yet so I'll accompany you." Ruka said.

"Fine. Let's go."

...

...

Natsume and Ruka made their way to the front. They barely made it on time because of the people they met on the way.

"There you are, Natsume. I was beginning to think that you forgot your promise." Mrs. Hyuuga said, then she spotted Ruka beside Natsume.

"Oh, and here's Ruka! How are you, dear?" Mrs. Hyuuga turned to Ruka with a smile.

"Just fine, aunt." Ruka said with a smile then continued, "I came over to greet you and apologize for arriving late. The traffic was terrible." He explained.

"Don't mention it, dear. What's important is you arrived safely." She replied with a friendly smile, then turned to her son and said, "It's about time for you to give that speech, Natsume." she said.

"Yes, mother. That's the reason why I came over in the first place." Natsume said with a smile.

...

...

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please." Mrs. Hyuuga said into the microphone.

"My son has something to say. Natsume?"

Natsume came up the stage and took the microphone.

"Yes, thank you, mother." Natsume said.

"First, I want to thank you all for coming, we are really thankful that you took the time out of your busy schedules to attend this little gathering." Natsume said with a smile, then continued.

"And second, I would like to propose a toast; in honor of tonight's guest of honor, my senpai, Andou Tsubasa-san. Welcome back, senpai! Cheers!" Natsume said, his glass raised.

Everyone in the ballroom raised their glasses and merrily echoed, "Cheers!"

The spotlight focused on a blue-haired man with a friendly smile. He gave the crowd a stunning smile and a slight bow.

"In behalf, of my family and everyone from the Hyuuga group, I wish you the best of luck, senpai and it's good to have you back!" Natsume finished, he gave a little bow and went down the stage.

...

...

"I'm leaving, mother. Ruka and I have places to go." Natsume told his mother with a grin, then continued, "Just tell father for me, okay?"

"Of course that is if it's okay with you, aunt." Ruka said with a smile.

Mrs. Hyuuga turmed to her son.

"Alright. Since you gave the speech graciously, I'll let you off the hook." Mrs. Hyuuga said with a smile.

"Always at your service, mother." Natsume smiled then kissed her cheeks, "I'll be taking my leave then."

"Thanks for inviting me, aunt. I'll keep Natsume out of trouble for you." Ruka said with a smile.

"See that you do, dear." Mrs Hyuuga said with a laugh.

...

...

Natsume and Ruka were making their way out of the ballroom, they decided to hang-out in a bar nearby. The formal atmosphere was choking him so he needed a drink, Natsume said.

Natsume was in such a hurry to leave that he didn't notice the waitress, who was carrying glasses of wine, right in front of him.

1

2

3

_Crash! Bang! _

"Itai..." the waitress mumbled.

"Damn." Natsume cursed at the same time.

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**a/n:** That ends my second chapter. Mikan enters the picture!

**a/n2:**I know that Natsume is not acting like his usual self here but my aim is to create a slightly more outgoing and talkative Nastume without completely changing the qualities that we love best about him. Love it? Hate it? DROP ME A REVIEW, so I can continue! :D


	3. Collision

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DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Gakuen Alice. All credits go to the great Higuchi Tachibana.

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**a/n: **First, I would like to apologize for the late update. I have been very busy these past few days and weeks; I'm a graduating student and I needed to fix some papers for my entrance exams to various Universities. And lastly, I would like to thank all those who have reviewed the last chapter! :D Keep those reviews coming, guys! They inspire me to write longer chapters and update faster! :D

Explanation of terms:

**Horrendous:** dreadful; sufficiently unpleasant, frightening, or shocking as to provoke horror

**Sopping: **soaking; thoroughly and unpleasantly wet.

**Heretofore:** up until now up until this time

**Incurred:** acquire burden; to become burdened with something such as a debt.

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I realize that some of you may already know what these words mean but I wanted to be on the safe side. I do this so that those who doesn't know the meaning will understand the story better. :D

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**_Chapter 3.Collision_**

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_"It has come to my knowledge that last night's soirée, __held at one__ of the_

_hotels under the Hyuuga group, ended __with a BANG! Although I wasn't_

_privileged enough to have __secured an invite, fear not, dear readers, for_

_interesting news __have reached my ears. According to eyewitnesses, Hyuuga _

_Natsume-san left the party last night sporting the most horrendous_

_of scowls and to top it all off, he was sopping wet. Yes, dear readers,_

_he WAS sopping wet. It is said that this unfortunate circumstance_

_was caused by Hyuuga-san colliding with a heretofore __unknown _

_serving woman. Whoever this unfortunate girl is; a word of caution,_

_try your best to hide, for you have incurred the wrath of Hyuuga Natsume."_

_-Melissa's Society Papers-_

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...

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"Damn." Natsume cursed.

"As expected, last night's all over the papers." Ruka said sympathetically.

"It's all that damned woman's fault." Natsume said bitterly.

"C'mon, Natsume. You're as much to blame as that poor girl. And besides, you were the one who ran into her." Ruka reminded patiently.

"Damn it, Ruka. Are you or are you not my friend. You should be siding with me on this one." Natsume told his friend angrily.

"Of course I'm your friend, baka. But it doesn't mean that I should always side with you. It was really your fault this time, the poor girl was terrified."

...

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_Flashback_

_Natsume and Ruka were making their way out of the ballroom, they decided to hang-out in a bar nearby. The formal atmosphere was choking him so he needed a drink, Natsume said._

_Natsume was in such a hurry to leave that he didn't notice the waitress, who was carrying glasses of wine, right in front of him._

_1_

_2_

_3_

_Crash! Bang! _

_"Itai..." the waitress mumbled._

_"Damn." Natsume cursed at the same time._

_Shards of broken wine glasses were scattered on the floor. Both Natsume and the waitress laid sprawled on the floor, the former was sopping wet, from head to foot while the latter was in pretty much the same condition except that she was immediately helped to her feet by none other that Andou Tsubasa himself._

_"Are you alright, miss?" Tsubasa inquired politely._

_"Hai. I'm okay, but..." her statement trailed off as she turned to Natsume._

_"Here, grab my hand, Natsume." Ruka offered._

_"Thanks." Natsume told Ruka, then turned to the girl in front of him._

_"What's your name?" Natsume asked in voice that could have frozen hell over._

_"Sakura Mikan, sir." the girl answered nervously._

_"Sakura Mikan, huh?" Natsume said, in an unnervingly calm voice. _

_He took a deep breath, then said, __"Report to my office tomorrow, 1 pm." _

_"I'm so sorry, sir. I'm really sorry." Mikan said, bowing deeply._

_"I said report to my office tomorrow." Natsume turned then walked away._

_"Hai." Mikan said in a trembling voice._

_Ruka turned to the girl then said, "I'm sorry, miss. Don't worry, I'll try to talk him out of whatever decision he's made." he said kindly, then continued."Now, if you'll excuse me."_

_"Thank you, sir." Mikan bowed gratefully._

_"Not a problem." Ruka smiled at the obviously terrified girl. He turned and followed his friend outside_

_"Oi, Natsume! Wait up." He called out as loud as he possibly can without sounding like an uncivilized boffoon._

_End of Flashback_

_..._

_..._

"That girl, what's her name, better report at 1 o'clock sharp." Natsume said in an irritated voice.

"Sakura Mikan-san. And yes she will be here. God, Natsume. What do you plan to make her do?" Ruka asked.

"It was an accident. No one wanted it to happen." Ruka continued.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Ruka." Natsume said, clearly annoyed.

"Natsume, you can't fire that girl for a transgression as small as that." Ruka said matter-of-factly.

"Yes, I know. Whoever told you that I was going to fire her?" Natsume asked.

"What? You aren't firing her?" Ruka asked, clearly confused.

"Nope, I'm not." Natsume said.

"Then what are you-" Ruka was cut off mid-sentence by the buzzing of the intercom.

"Excuse me, sir." Sheila's voice wafted through the intercom. She paused for a bit then continued. "There's a phone call for you at line 2."

"Whose on the line?" Natsume asked

"Andou Tsubasa-sama, sir. He said that he has something important he needs to tell you." Sheila said.

"I'll take the call. What line did you say it was?" Natsume asked.

"Line 2, sir." Sheila responded.

"Thanks."

"I'll leave you to work in peace then." Ruka said then added, "And do your best not to terrify that girl into tears."

"Yeah, whatever you say. Now go. I have work to do." Natsume said.

"All right, all right. I'm leaving already. I'll ring you later."

"Hyuuga." Natsume answered the phone with a professional voice.

...

...

Meanwhile; at the elevator.

...

...

Sakura Mikan was nervously fiddling with the hem of her skirt, she was on her way to see _'the big boss'_. After what happened the night before, Mikan was certainly very nervous as to what sort of punishment the famous or maybe infamous (depending on your view) Hyuuga, has prepared for her.

_Flashback: Last night, before Mikan's world collided with Natsume's_

_"Mikan-chan!" an eager masculine voice called out._

_Mikan turned, and she was greeted with the sight of her childhood friend, Andou Tsubasa._

_"Tsubasa-kun!" she said with an enthusiastic smile._

_"I didn't know you'd be coming. Misaki told me you had work tonight." Tsubasa glanced at his childhood friend, and for the first time noticed that she was carrying a serving tray._

_Tsubasa frowned. He didn't like the fact that Mikan had to work for her to earn her living. They had known each other since they were little; he, Mikan and Misaki were neighbors. He remembered how Mikan used to be a pampered princess, Mikan had a comfortable life when her parents were still alive, but inspite of that, Mikan was never spoiled or bratty. That's why he and Misaki instantly liked the young girl, but Mikan's world came crashing down when her parents died in an accident when she was little. _

_Though her parents left her a hefty sum of money, Mikan insisted on working. The money alone, she said, could not support her forever. Mikan used the money to pay-off the bills that her parents left behind and have been using it until a few years ago to support her schooling and everyday needs, but she has been working since she turned 18 a couple of years ago._

_"What has you frowning so, Tsubasa-kun?" Mikan asked with a slight smile._

_"Mikan-chan, you don't have to do this, you know. Your parents left you money, and if that runs out, Misaki and I are both here." Tsubasa told her._

_"We've talked about this before, remember?" Mikan said with a smile, then continued, "I can manage, I promise. And besides, I don't want to depend on my parents' money for the rest of my life." Mikan finished seriously._

_"I'm sorry, Mikan-chan. It's just that I hate seeing you like this. It's like seeing my little sister being bossed around." Tsubasa said, sadness and worry evident in his eyes._

_"I'm okay, Tsubasa-kun. I promise." Mikan said with a smile._

"Excuse me, miss. I'd like to have a glass of champagne." an elegantly dressed lady called out.

_Tsubasa scowled at that._

_"Looks like I need to get back to work." Mikan told Tsubasa indulgently._

_"Alright, we'll catch up sometime, 'kay?" he grumbled._

_"Of course we will. See you then." She gave him a final grin and turned around._

_And the rest, as they say, is history._

...

_End of Flashback_

...

Mikan was wearing a simple white blouse accentuated with stitches of flower vines and butterflies on the side, a chiffon skirt and beaded, peach slip-ons. She was snapped out of her reverie when an automated voice announced that the elevator has reached the top floor.

She took a deep breath and went out the elevator. The entire floor was Natsume's office, she was greeted with the sight of the magnificent office. There was a large sofa complete with a center table and centerpiece decoration and an extensive magazine rack could be seen at the side. The colors were subtle yet elegant and the room was adorned by various paintings depicting scenes of nature. Though the decors were kept at the minimum, there was an underlying sense of eloquence and elegance emanating from the room.

At the side of the room, just beside the door to the main office, Mikan saw a desk where a beautiful young woman sat, typing on her computer. Mikan assumed that this girl is Natsume's secretary and hesitantly approached her table.

"Excuse me..." Mikan began tentatively.

"Yes?" the woman inquired with a polite yet friendly smile.

"I was told to report to this office by Hyuuga-sama." she said politely.

"Oh! So you were that girl from the party last night." Sheila said with a smile.

"Hai." Mikan said timidly.

"Don't look so nervous." Sheila said with a smile then continued, "Inspite of appearances, the boss is actually a good person. And Nogi-san have spent the entire day dissuading him from whatever it was he was thinking about." Sheila told Mikan soothingly.

"Oh." was the only thing that Mikan could say.

"Why don't you sit down for a moment, Hyuuga-san is still on the phone." Sheila said motioning to the couch to the side of the office.

"Hai." Mikan said with a bow.

...

...

"Hyuuga." came Natsume's curt voice over the telephone speaker.

"Domo, Hyuuga-kun. This is Andou Tsubasa speaking." Tsubasa replied calmly.

"So I've been told. Is there anything I can do for you?" Natsume professionally inquired.

"Actually, about what happened last night..." Tsubasa began carefully.

"Well you see, it wasn't that girl's fault. It was because of me that she bumped into you I swear. I was the one who called her over and chatted her up a bit because she looked like someone I knew, but while I was talking to her a guest called her attention, she excused herself but I was still too busy talking, so when you cam over she was still preoccupied because of me." Tsubasa relayed as calmly and sensibly as he could.

But this statement was met by an icy silence on the other end of the line.

So he continued, "So you see, you can't actually fire her because she was not the one in the wrong, I was. Whatever damages my mistake may have caused, I'm willing to pay double the amount." Tsubasa finished hurriedly.

"What makes you so sure that I'm firing her?" an icy question, coming from none other Hyuuga Natsume; he then promptly ended the conversation by an even icier, "No if you'll excuse me Andou-san I have important matters I must deal with. Good day."

"H-h-hai. Good day to you too." came Tsubasa's astonished voice.

Natsume scowled at the receiver and slammed the thing back to its cradle.

"Damned, troublesome meddler." he muttered darkly.

He pressed his intercom and it was immediately answered by a professional voice.

"You need me for anything,sir?" Sheila inquired politely.

"Has someone by the name Sakura Mikan arrived?" Natsume asked.

"Yes, sir. She arrived a few minutes ago but you were still on the phone so I asked her to wait for a while." Sheila replied.

"Tell her to come in, and could you bring me a cup of coffee while you're at it?" Natsume asked.

"Of course, sir. I'll bring your coffee shortly." Sheila said.

...

...

"Good afternoon, sir." Mikan said, bowing politely.

"Hn." was all Natsume said in reply.

"I' m so sorry for what happened last night! Please, please, sir, don't fire me. I really need this job." Mikan hurriedly said while bowing profusely.

"I'm not firing you." Natsume said, his brows raised and his face clearly marred with arrogance.

"Pleas, sir. I be-- wait a moment. Did you just say that you're not firing me?" Mikan inquired politely.

"Yes, I did say I wasn't firing you." Natsume said, all arrogance and conceit.

"Arigatou Gozaimasu!" Mikan said gratefully while bowing deeply.

"Not so fast." Nastume said archly.

"Huh?" Mikan asked, clearly confused.

"I won't fire you. In one condition." Natsume said.

"Condition?" Mikan asked.

"Yes, condition. You must pretend that you're my girlfriend." Natsume said.

"Nani??" Mikan half-shouted.

"Are you out of your mind? Me? Pretend to be your girlfriend?!" Mikan exclaimed.

"That's the condition. And besides, you should be honored that I chose you." Natsume smirked.

"Honored? Over my dead body, you arrogant jerk!" Mikan exclaimed furiously.

Natsume raised his brows at that. "Arrogant jerk?" Natsume asked, clearly amused.

"Yes, you! What makes you think that I will feel honored with such an arrangement? You are quite possibly the most arrogant man I have ever met!" Mikan finished in a huff.

Mikan turned to leave, but Natsume's amused voice stopped her dead on her tracks.

"Oh, Ms. Sakura... I thought you needed the jo-ob." Natsume said in an annoying singsong voice.

Mikan turned around reluctantly, then said, "I..."

"That's right, Ms. Sakura. You need the job right? Well I can keep you on as another secretary."

"Secretary?" Mikan asked.

"Uhuh. Secretary. I don't really need a girlfriend anyway, and besides, you aren't my type." Natsume stated arrogantly.

"Why you-!!" Mikan was cut off mid-sentence by Natsume's voice.

"Uhuhhuh. Remember your job, Ms. Sakura." Natsume said, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Mikan reluctantly calmed down.

"That's right, calm down. Now there's a good girl." Natsume said, clearly satisfied.

"So what do you say? Will you take the job?" Natsume inquired once more.

"..." Mikan stared at him blankly, clearly weighing her options.

"Well?" Natsume asked.

Another minute of silence...

"Ms. Sakura, I'm waiting..." Natsume said, the first traces of irritation tingeing his voice.

"O-okay. I'll take the job." Mikan reluctantly agreed.

"Very good. Report at this office. Tomorrow. 8 o'clock sharp. Don't be late." Natsume instructed.

"Yes, sir." Mikan answeres politely.

"You may go."

"Hai." Mikan bowed, then exited Natsume's office.

...

...

* * *

**a/n:** That ends my third chapter. LOVE it? HATE it? DROP me a REVIEW, so I can continue.


	4. Arrogance

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* * *

**

DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Gakuen Alice. All credits go to the great Higuchi Tachibana.

...

**a/n: **I AM BACK PEOPLE. Though my busy days are far from over I have found it rather hard to neglect this story; it's like neglecting a baby. T.T And I find that instead of being focused on my studies I find it harder to concentrate when I remember this story. So until I finish my business I'll be updating sporadically. You find that agreeable, I hope?

Explanation of term(s):

**Sparse- **scant:thinly spread, or occurring with many spaces in between

**Enthuse- **say with enthusiasm: to express enthusiasm about something or say something enthusiastically

**maître d'-** headwaiter: a headwaiter in a restaurant or a hotel dining room

* * *

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**_Chapter 4. Arrogance  
_**

...

...

...

_"Andou Tsubasa-san has signed a contract with _

_the famous Hyuuga Group. Though this particular_

_piece of news does not really come as great shock;_

_seeing as Andou-san and Hyuuga-san attended the same_

_school (Alice Academy), it is in my opinion that any piece _

_of news concerning guys of this caliber must be_

_written indeed!_

_-Melissa's Society Papers-_

...

...

...

...

"Tsubasa-san called you?" an eager voice inquired.

Natsume delicately wiped the corners of his mouth with a table napkin and answered, "Yes, mother. He did."

"And? What did he want." his mother continued the interrogation.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? What do you mean by that, young man? He would not have called if he didn't have anything important to say." Mrs. Hyuuga persisted.

"Yes, he did call for something, but not for the reason you are expecting." Natsume answered blandly.

"Then what did he need?"

"It's nothing, mother. He just told me something." Natsume answered politely.

"Told you something, huh?" his father inquired.

"Yes, father."

"And what might that something be?" his father asked, amusement evident in his eyes.

"Nothing of importance, father." Natsume replied, the same sparkle of amusement apparent in his ruby orbs.

"Hmmph. Whatever that thing might have been, I hope you accepted it with good grace. I need you to be agreeable with him, Natsume. We are after all, trying to convince him to sign a contract with us." Mrs. Hyuuga finished mildly.

"Yes, don't worry. I know what I must do, mother."

...

...

The following day; Mikan's 1st day on the job.

...

...

Mikan entered the room apprehensively. It was 8 o'clock and her 1st day on the job as that arrogant man's secretary. She would not have accepted the condition if she wasn't in desperate need to keep her job.

"Good morning, Miss..." Mikan trailed off.

"It's Mitarashi Sheila." she said with a friendly smile.

"Ano..." Mikan began but couldn't find the word to continue.

"It's okay. Hyuuga-san told me that he employed you as his Personal Assistant." Sheila said with a slight smile.

"Personal Assistant?" Mikan asked, clearly confused.

"He told me that he was employing me as his secretary." Mikan continued.

"Oh. He means the same thing. So he did?" she asked politely.

"Uhmm... Yes, he did. Mitarashi-san..." Mikan began hesistantly.

"Yes?" she inquired with a smile.

"Ano... You see... I... I'm so sorry. If I had the choice I would not have agreed to be his Personal Assistant, but I really need the job. So I ask you to please understand. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to tread on your foot." Mikan finished, bowing low to the ground.

"It's alright. You don't have to apologize. It's high time he employed a Personal Assistant. I've been telling him for years that he ought to get one. He couldn't expect me to show my full potential while playing his social calendar and girlfriend categorizer." Sheila said with an amused laugh.

"You do those for him? Keep track of his girlfriends' names and social engagements, that is." Mikan asked, clearly intruiged.

"Yep. What with all his girlfriend parading about, and it doesn't help that he changes them in the wink of an eye. It's not improbable for him to confuse the new one with the old ones he had. I expect you'll be doing that for him, now that you're here." she explained sympathetically.

"I've been having such a hard time keeping all his girlfriends' names, social and business engagements as well as other things straight." Sheila finished.

"Now, now, Sheila. Surely, you must not think that I have been over working you?" Natsume asked, an amused glint and a smirk clearly visible on his handsome face.

"Oh, not at all, sir. Not at all." she replied with an amused smirk of her own.

"I think it's only fair that I warn her, don't you think?" Sheila teased him lightly.

"Fair enough." Natsume said, amusement in his eyes.

He turned to Mikan and said, "Follow me."

"Hai." Mikan said politely then turned to Sheila and said, "I'll see you later, Mitarashi-san."

...

...

Natsume settled himself behind his large oak desk. He leafed through a couple of documents, then motioned Mikan to sit on the chair opposite his.

"Whatever it was that Sheila told you before I came, let me assure you that none of those are true." he paused, then continued, "What she told about your job, however, were all true." Natsume said blandly.

"..." Mikan raised her brows at Natsume, urging him to continue his explanation.

"So, yes, you will be taking care of my social engagements; the parties that I will be attending, opening ceremonies, birthdays, etc. You get the idea." Natsume said, gesturing emphatically.

"So basically, I will serve as your personal human organizer..." Mikan slowly said.

"Exactly. Your job concerns my social engagements while Sheila concentrates on the professional aspects. She's been badgering me to get a Personal Assistant for years, she keeps on telling me that she can't play both secretary and nanny." Natsume said, rolling his eyes heavenward.

"So you're telling me that I will have to accompany you to certain events?" Mikan asked cautiously.

Natsume, who quite honestly, haven't thought of that until she mentioned it smiled a Cheshire Cat smile and said, "Yes, that's it. That's your job. You will accompany me to events when I require it, may it be on weekends or holidays." he finished, clearly satisfied with his requirements.

"Even on holidays and weekends?" Mikan asked incredulously.

"Yes, that's part of your job. However, seeing as most of these events may take place after office hours, I will also be paying you overtime salary." Natsume stated as convincingly as he could.

"So, you'll basically be paying me to attend those events with you?" Mikan asked, clearly fascinated with the idea of being payed to have fun.

"Yes, that's it precisely." Natsume said, all smug and confidence.

"Alright. I'm getting the picture... Uhmmm... Mitarashi-san told me that she keeps track of your girlfriends' name for you as well? Will I be taking over those too, or would the job remain with her?" Mikan inquired.

"She told you that?" Natsume asked, exasperation evident on his features.

"Yes, she did. Why? Was I misinformed?" Mikan asked, brows raised.

"No, no. Never you mind that. If the need ever arises, yes you will take over that aspect of her job as well. But for the moment, I don't see any need for that. So don't concern yourself with that first." Natsume said, the first traces of annoyance tingeing his voice.

"But, sir, I don't think you understand. Seeing that it's my job now, I don't see why I shouldn't concern myself with that." Mikan --never one to be prevented by annoyance--,persisted.

"Fine. Suit yourself. If you want to familiarize yourself with my previous girlfriends, go ahead." Natsume paused, then continued, "But I'm telling you that you don't have to bother with that for the time being since I have not yet found a new girl who interests me." Natsume finished.

"You have not found a new girlfriend yet, huh?" Mikan asked, starting to get annoyed herself.

"Exactly. I'm glad you finally grasped the concept." Natsume said severly.

"Finally grasped the concept?!" Mikan exclaimed, clearly scandalized at having her intelligence belittled.

"Don't talk to me as if I'm retarded!" Mikan huffed.

"Do remember that I am your boss, Ms. Sakura." Natsume said sharply then continued, "So I'd appreciate it if you never use that tone with me again." he finished quietly, clearly starting to get irate.

Mikan, sufficiently humbled and reminded of her place, blushed then said, "H-hai. I'm sorry, sir." she apologized, bowing low.

...

...

Mikan entered her sparsely furnished apartment, though it was by no means shabby, it was a bit ordinary when compared to the mansion she grew up in. Mikan placed her things on top of her center table and promptly entered her small kitchen to cook dinner. She was half-way through slicing the carrots she planned to include in the stew when the phone rang.

_Ring_

_Ring _

_Ring_

"I'm coming, I'm coming." she muttered to herself as she discarded the carrot she was slicing.

"Good evening, Sakura Mikan speaking." she said pleasantly.

"Mikan-chan." a masculine voice greeted, warmth and affection evident in his tone.

"Tsubasa-kun!" Mikan exclaimed happily.

"Have you eaten dinner?" Tsubasa asked eagerly.

"I was cooking when you called."

"Don't bother with that. I'll take you to dinner so we can catch-up." Tsubasa enthused.

"Dinner? Hmmmm... let's see..." Mikan replied, clearly trying to tease her friend.

"C'mon, Mikan-chan! You promised!" Tsubasa said, his tone of voice like that of a child denied his candy.

"I'm just kidding." Mikan chuckled, then continued, "Of course I'll accompany you to dinner." she said patronizingly.

"Heh! I knew it." Tsubasa said, all smugness and airs.

"Alright, alright." Mikan said with a laugh.

"Just give me a few minutes to get ready, ok?" Mikan said.

"Alright. I'm only halfway there anyway, with the traffic it will probably take me 45 minutes or so." Tsubasa said agreebly.

"Okay. I'll see you then. Drive carefully." Mikan replied.

"Yep. See 'ya." Tsubasa said then hang-up.

...

...

Natsume was highly satisfied with the recent turn of events. He honestly doesn't know what possessed him to hire Sakura Mikan. All he knows is that from the first moment he saw her, he felt a deep inclination to keep her as close to him as possible. She gave him the most wonderful idea when she asked if it was part of her job to keep him company during the tedious hours he spent attending several functions. Thus the reason for his good mood.

"Just what happened today?" Ruka asked his friend curiously.

"Huh?" Natsume distractedly asked. He was examining a particularly intricate and expensive vase.

"What happened today? You seem to be in such a good mood." Ruka explained.

"Nothing." Natsume shrugged his shoulders noncommittally, then continued, "Do you think my mother will like this?" he asked Ruka.

"Probably. Why are you asking me anyway? She's your mother, you know her better. That's why I asked you to come help me choose her gift in the first place." Ruka replied.

"I'm sorry." Natsume said, then smiled at his friend impishly.

"_I'm sorry_? Did you just say _you're _sorry?" Ruka asked, clearly bewildered.

"Uhuh. What's wrong with that?" Natsume asked.

"Nothing. Just that in all the years I've known I rarely hear you say that. Something good must have really happened today. You're in such high spirits." Ruka smiled at his friend.

"Yep." Natsume replied.

"And you're not going to tell me are you?" Ruka asked.

"Yep. Not now, at least." Natsume replied.

"Suit yourself then. However, just make sure that you do tell me sometime." Ruka said mildly.

"Alright. Let's leave this conversation at that for the moment." Natsume smirked at his friend

...

...

Tsubasa parked his car near Mikan's apartment complex, went down and walked the short distance between his car and the building. Tsubasa was wearing dark blue casual polo, partially unbuttoned, dark brown slacks and black shoes. He reached the entrance and searched for the button labeled Sakura. Having located the button, he gave it 3 short presses and waited.

"Tsubasa-kun, is that you?" Mikan asked.

"Yep."

"I'll buzz you up." Mikan replied.

The gate to the apartment complex opened and Tsubasa went inside. He waited for the elevator to reach Mikan's floor, stepped out and headed for Mikan's unit.

He has been here countless times before; Mikan has been staying here since she turned 18 and it was he and Misaki who told her that this was the best place for her to settle down. They tried to convince Mikan to stay with Misaki but she refused, adamant to have her own place, so they looked for this place for her.

He knocked 3 times to let Mikan know that he was there and waited for her to open the door.

"Tsubasa-kun." Mikan greeted him warmly.

Mikan was wearing a simple peach halter top; adorned with a hand-stitched flower vine at the side, white balloon skirt; printed with cute butterflies near the hem, and peach doll shoes.

"I see you're as lovely as always, Mikan-chan." Tsubasa said.

"Thank you. The same goes for you." Mikan smiled at him.

Tsubasa merely smiled, offered his elbow for Mikan to place her arms on, then said, "Shall we go?"

"Yep." Mikan replied, taking Tsubasa's proffered arm.

...

...

Tsubasa took Mikan to a classy Italian Restaurant, the restaurant was their all time favorite. He, Misaki and Mikan often eat there to celebrate or just plain hang-out.

"I missed this place." Tsubasa said, looking around.

"Well, you have been in the states for the past 2 years." Mikan replied.

'Good evening, sir. Do you have any reservations?" the maître d' asked.

"Yes, a table for two is reserved under the name Andou Tsubasa." Tsubasa replied.

"Oh. Right this way sir." the maître d' inclined his head, indicated for them to follow him and turn around.

He led them to a table near the restaurant's alcove.

"Your reserved table, sir." he said.

"Thank you." Tsubasa replied. He pulled out a chair, motioned for Mikan to sit down and claimed his seat.

"Your waiter for the night will be with you shortly." maître d' said, then left the 2 alone.

"So, Mikan-chan, how have you been?" Tsubasa asked, grinning at the girl opposite him.

"Same old, same old." Mikan replied, a gentle smile gracing her beautiful features.

"Same old, same old, huh? Nothing new happened while I was away?" Tsubsa inquired.

"Uhuh. I'm sure whatever the things I may have neglected to tell you have reached your ears via Misaki-chan, right?" Mikan grinned at her friend.

"You got that one right." Tsubasa laughed, then sobered, "But seriously Mikan-chan how have you been? Misaki and I worry about you." he said.

"I get along just fine, Tsubasa-kun. Honestly. I may not live as comfortably as you guys do but I can handle everything. So you needn't worry, really." Mikan replied.

"I'm sorry, you know how I am, Mikan-chan." Tsubasa grinned sheepishly, then suddenly remembered, "How did it go with Hyuuga-san, anyway?" he inquired curiously.

The waiter arrived, took their order and left Mikan and Tsubasa to continue their conversation.

"I'm not out of a job, to put it simply." Mikan replied.

"He didn't fire you?" Tsubasa asked as innocently as he could.

"Yep. Strange man, isn't he?" Mikan asked.

"Uhuh." Tsubasa replied then asked, "So you're still working in that hotel?"

"Nope. He transferred me to the main office."

"The main office?" Tsubasa asked curiously.

"Uhuh. He hired me as his Personal Assistant." Mikan stated.

There was a pause in the conversation as the waiter arrived with their food and both concentrated on eating. Tsubasa was particularly pleased with his food, having missed the dish a lot. They conversed in between eating and Tsubasa was about to ask Mikan what she wanted for dessert when a voice interrupted him.

"Why are you with him, Sakura?"

...

...

...

* * *

**a/n:** That ends my fourth chapter. LOVE it? HATE it? DROP me a REVIEW, so I can continue. I also ask you to PRAY that I MAY PASS all the EXAMS that I WILL BE TAKING! :D

**P.S:** I'd really appreciate it if you drop me a short yet meaningful review. I am **FRUSTRATED** whenever I open my inbox and find, that some **people** put me in their alert list yet **does not submit any review**. I ask you to please **REWARD **my **SACRIFICING** the time I should spend on schoolwork and the likes with a **REVIEW**. Thanks. :D


	5. Jealousy

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**

DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Gakuen Alice. All credits go to the great Higuchi Tachibana.

...

**a/n: **I AM BACK PEOPLE. First, I would like to thank my cousin, the ever beautiful, **vintage-emerald**. She gave me the idea for this next chapter. Check out her stories! I've provided you with a link to her profile.

**h t t p / / w w w . f a n f i c t i o n . n e t / u / 1 4 7 5 6 3 1 /**

just remove the spaces, stubborn fanfic does not permit hyper linking. :D

She has some interesting ideas, so check it out! :D

Explanation of term(s):

**Glower- **glare silently:to look at somebody or something with sullen anger or strong resentment

**Supercilious- **contemptuously indifferent: full of contempt and arrogance

* * *

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**_Chapter 5. Jealousy  
_**

...

...

...

_"Rumor has it, that a dispute is brewing between _

_2 of society's most eligible bachelors. What caused _

_this clash of interest, you may ask. One word, _

_my dear readers, one word. WOMAN. Who might_

_this lucky woman be? Even I don't know._

_-Melissa's Society Papers-_

...

...

...

...

_Flashback: _

...

...

_Natsume and Ruka were on their way to Natsume's city residence; a condo of sorts, when they decided to grab a quick bite in the Italian restaurant they passed._

_They were a few meters away from the entrance when Natsume turned to Ruka and asked,_

_"Are you sure they serve good food here, Ruka?" _

_"I'm not sure really. It's weird, this place has been around for years and I haven't once stepped inside. But people have been saying that they serve good food." Ruka explained, while shrugging his shoulders indifferently.  
_

_"So I guess the only way to find out is to try it out ourselves, huh?" Natsume asked._

_"Yep." _

_They made their way inside and the maître d' welcomed them graciously. They were led to the tables near the alcove, Natsume was about to sit down when something caught his eyes._

_Sakura Mikan was seated on the table opposite theirs, and she was not alone. She was chatting happily with none other the resident meddler himself, Andou Tsubasa. For some reason, yet unknown to him, this sight made his blood boil. He ambled over to their table without conscious thought and said the first thing that came to mind._

_"Why are you with him, Sakura?" _

...

...

"Huh?" Mikan turned around from her seat and came face to face with the glowering face of Hyuuga Natsume.

"You heard me. What are you doing _here_ with _him._"

"We're here for the very same reason why _you're_ here, I imagine." Tsubasa said superciliously.

Natsume ignored him and turned to Mikan instead.

"Well?" he asked impatiently.

"Well what?" Mikan asked, clearly getting annoyed herself.

"Damn, woman. How many times do I have to repeat the same question before your dumb head actually processes it?"

"I suggest that you stop insulting her immediately, Hyuuga." Tsubasa said, antagonism gleaming in his eyes.

Natsume arched one arrogant brow at him and once again turned her attention on Mikan.

"Well?" he asked impatiently.

"As Tsubasa-kun already told you, we're here to eat."

"Natsume, why the hell did you walk away just like that?" came Ruka's annoyed voice.

"Huh?" Natsume asked.

"I said, we're here to eat." Mikan said just as Ruka said, " Why the hell did you walk away just like that?"

"Alright. This is getting really ridiculous would you two just leave us in peace?" Tsubasa suggested mildly.

"What? Oh. Andou-senpai, it's you, and Sakura-san too. Good evening. " Ruka greeted them pleasantly, finally noticing Tsubasa's and Mikan's presence.

Tsubasa inclined his head to recognize Ruka's greeting then raised one annoyed brow and said, "Well. What are you guys waiting for? Mikan and I still have dessert to finish."

"Hey, wait just a moment! I'm talking to Sakura here." Natsume protested.

Ruka shot him a glare, turned to Mikan and Tsubasa then said, "Don't mind him. We'll be taking our leave then, enjoy the rest of your meal." he smiled at the duo, turned to Natsume and dragged him away.

"Hey, don't be late tomorrow." Natsume told Mikan before Ruka succeeded in pulling him away.

Mikan scowled at him then replied, "Yes, sir." her voice far from being respectful

...

...

"Hey, let go of me." Natsume hissed.

"And let you make an ass of yourself? No way." Ruka replied.

"I'm telling you, Ruka. Stop dragging me." Natsume insisted.

"Just as long as you give me your word that you won't pester them again."

"Alright. Alright. Just as long as you let go of me immediately."

Ruka let go of his friend's sleeves and proceeded to their table.

"Now tell me. What got into your head when you did that?" Ruka asked Natsume after the waiter took their orders.

"Did what?"

"Stormed their table. I believe that your mother specifically told you to accommodate Andou." Ruka said.

"Well, my job is to keep him satisfied with his work. I don't believe that things outside of work are involved." Natsume replied pettishly.

"Same goes for you. Office ours ends at 6 o'clock. Sakura-san has a right to enjoy dinner with whomever she wants."

"Well..." Natsume trailed off.

"Well, what?" Ruka asked.

"Nothing. Let's just drop the subject."

"Natsume." Ruka said warningly.

"I said let's drop it, Ruka."

...

...

"Well, that certainly put a damper on our cheerful mood." Tsubasa told Mikan ruefully.

"Never mind him. He's a jerk." Mikan said.

"Is he like that at work?" Tsubasa asked.

"I dunno. Today was only my first day in the job, you know." Mikan replied with a smile.

"Oh yeah. Sorry about that." Tsubasa said sheepishly.

Mikan gave him an amused smile then said, "Weren't you at school with him? I would think that you had more chance to know her than me."

"Well, I was a few years ahead of him and though we moved in the same circle, I rarely interacted with him. He and Nogi-san have always been rather close."

"Best friends, I believe." Mikan told him.

"Uhuh. So I've heard. He's always been popular with the ladies."

"And you aren't?" Mikan teased him.

"Good point." Tsubasa said with a laugh.

"Anyway, even if he was exceedingly popular he only had quite a handful of friends and they always told me that he was a nice chap. Always smiling, exceedingly smart and polite and obscenely wealthy." he continued.

"He doesn't have any brothers or sisters?"

"None that I know of. He's an only child, I believe. That's why a lot of the ladies and their parents are keen to get into his good books. Imagine being the sole heir to that multi-national corporation of theirs."

"So he pretty much avoids the rest of the world that might take advantage of his social status." Mikan finished for Tsubasa.

"Well I wasn't gonna say that but now that you mention it, that's probably the reason why he avoided having deep relationship with other people. He's afraid the he would be taken advantage of." Tsubasa finished thoughtfully.

"Well, that life, I guess." Mikan said. "You can't have the best of both worlds."

"Uhuh. All this talk is depressing me. Let's talk of more pleasant things, shall we?" Tsubasa asked. "Remember that time when we..." he began.

...

...

Mikan reported to work early the next day. She was on her way to the elevator when a voice called out to her and said, "Ms. Sakura, hold the elevator."

"Good morning, sir." Mikan greeted Natsume blandly after the elevator doors closed.

Natsume raised his brows at her cold tone then said, "Alright, what's the matter with you?"

"Excuse me, sir?" Mikan asked.

"What's the matter with you? You sound as if you wish to freeze me to death."

"I'm afraid I don't quite get what you mean, sir." Mikan replied.

"Yeah right. Tell me what I did wrong so that I may apologize." Natsume insisted.

Mikan arched her brows at him then said, "If you are so adamant about you having done me wrong, then surely, you must know just what you did that upset me."

"Oh. That's right. It's about what happened last night, right?" Natsume asked.

Mikan remained silent and opted to just raise her brows at his statement.

"That's really the reason, huh? Did I upset you that much?"

Mikan merely stared at him and stepped out of the elevator.

"Hey, Ms. Sakura." Natsume tapped her shoulders. "Report to my office in 15 minutes." he said blandly.

"Yes, sir."

"Good morning, sir, Sakura-san." Sheila greeted them.

"Good morning, Mitarashi-san."

"Good morning, Sheila."

...

...

Mikan knocked on Natsume's door, then said, "Sir, it's Sakura Mikan."

"Enter." Natsume replied.

"You wanted me for something, sir?" she asked.

"Uhuh. First thing on the agenda. I'm sorry if I upset you that much last night. I just want to let you know that I don't usually act like an ass, I don't know what got into me last night. You have my word that it won't happen again."

"I accept your apology, sir. But I'm not the only one to whom you owe an apology, you must apologize to Tsubasa-kun as well." Mikan said.

"I've already called him to apologize. He is an important person in this company." Natsume replied.

"Then in that case, consider last night as done and forgiven. Anything more, sir?" she inquired.

"Yes, there's one more thing." Natsume said. "We're giving my mother a surprise birthday party tonight and as I've told you, it's part of your job to accompany me."

"Tonight, sir?"

"Yes."

"What sort of party will it be?" Mikan inquired.

"Black tie." he replied.

Mikan remained quiet, mentally going over her wardrobe; which consisted of the most basic of clothes, not one of them appropriate for such a party.

"Is there anything wrong, Ms. Sakura?"

"It's nothing, sir. Just that I'd appreciate it if you tell me something like this a little earlier next time." she finished uneasily.

"There's no need to worry about your clothes and the likes." Natsume told her, having sensed her uneasiness.

"I'm not sure you understand, sir."

"Of course I understand." he snapped. "Go back to your work and come back just before lunch. I'll take you to lunch, buy you clothes and do whatever else it may be needed to make you look presentable." he said.

"Sir?" Mikan asked uncertainly.

"Really, Ms. Sakura. Must I repeat myself again?" Natsume asked, the faintest traces of amusement glinting in his eyes.

...

...

...

* * *

**a/n:** That ends my fifth chapter. LOVE it? HATE it? DROP me a REVIEW, so I can continue. I also ask you to PRAY that I MAY PASS all the EXAMS that I WILL BE TAKING! :D

**P.S. **I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. The reviews that I received are by far, the most I ever had in one chapter. :D **Thank you so much, my dear reviewers!** Keep those reviews coming guys. :D


	6. Rumors

**

* * *

**

DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Gakuen Alice. All credits go to the great Higuchi Tachibana.

...

**a/n: **First, I would like to extend my gratitude to all those who have reviewed the previous chapter. Thanks, guys. Second, I'm really sorry if I don't reply to your reviews like I used to. Lastly, to those who are asking if we could be friends; of course we could be! I see no reason why we couldn't :)

Explanation of term(s):

**Amiable-**with friendly feelings: characterized by friendly feelings

**Awash-**oversupplied: having more of something that is desirable.

**Threshold-** a doorway or an entrance.

* * *

...

...

**_Chapter 6. Rumors  
_**

...

...

...

_"You my dear readers, would not believe this._

_Hyuuga Natsume arrived at his mother's _

_birthday party last night with neither a model nor_

_ an actress in tow. I know that you are all rolling your eyes_

_ right now and are saying that he probably appeared with a_

_ beauty queen instead. Don't get sarcastic on me now, my dears.  
_

_She wasn't anyone from the entertainment business. In fact,_

_she wasn't anyone _I _knew at all. Guesses, anyone?_

_-Melissa's Society Papers-_

...

...

...

...

"Ms. Sakura, are you ready to leave?"

Sheila looked at Natsume with questioning eyes, Natsume answered by giving his friend a smile and a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders.

"I'm ready,sir. Sorry for making you wait." Mikan replied.

"No harm done." Natsume told her then turned to Sheila and said, "Reschedule all my meetings for this afternoon, redirect all important calls to my cellphone and the less important ones tell them that I will be calling them back tomorrow."

"Understood. Any other, sir?"

"Just one more thing. If my mother calls tell her that there was an emergency in the European branch and that I have flown there to address the situation."

Sheila raised her brows at that then doubtfully said, "You're instructing me to lie to your mother?"

"Just a little white lie, Sheila and besides it will serve for the greater good." he smirked.

"The greater good being that the surprise party will remain as it should be?"

"You are, as per usual, correct."

Mikan watched their easy conversation. She was amazed at just how close Natsume and Sheila appeared to be, if she did not know better, she would have concluded that the two of them were in love with each other but as it was, it is quite impossible.

"Hold the fort while we're away." Natsume said.

"Yes, sir." Sheila replied with a smile.

"Oh and before I forget, you definitely have to attend the party. Mother's been asking about you, says you haven't come by for dinner in a long time."

"I have been busy." Sheila replied with a smirk then, "But I won't miss her party for the world, you know how much I adore your mother."

"Yep. So be sure that you'll attend because my mother will bemoan your absence."he told her then turned to Mikan, "Let's go, Ms. Sakura."

"Have fun, you two." Sheila said as they rode the elevator.

...

...

"Uhmm..."

"Do you have something to tell me, Ms. Sakura?"

Mikan gave him a smile then said, "It's nothing,sir."

Natsume raised a quizzical brow in her direction but when Mikan remained silent, he refocused his attention on the road.

"Shall we have lunch first?" Natsume asked.

They had lunch in one of Natsume's favorite Chinese Restaurant. They spent the time chatting in amiable companionship which was made relatively easy by Natsume's exceptional talent in conducting small talk. Truth be told, Mikan was incredibly surprised by the Natsume she lunched with; he was extremely different to the arrogant man Mikan dealt with on a day to day basis. It seems as if he was completely transformed.

What Mikan did not know was that Natsume was feeling a tad guilty for making her uncomfortable awhile ago. Natsume took for granted the fact that Mikan apparently lived alone without the support of her parents or any of her immediate family members for that matter, he just assumed that the always 'together' Mikan will be ready to attend any party with the wink of an eye. Natsume, who sensed her inner discomfort and embarrassment felt sorry for what he did and was determined to make it up to her by not being a complete ass.

"Thank you."

"Whatever for?" Natsume asked, genuinely confused.

"For the wonderful food and for your pleasant company." Mikan said.

"Don't thank me just yet." Natsume smiled, " We still have to pick your dress, remember?"

"Uhuh." Mikan replied, her face the picture of childish excitement.

They arrived at the trendy boutique and Mikan was awash with pleasure and excitement. She hasn't had the chance to shop like this in a long time, and though she knew that this was probably the last time she would experience this, she is determined to make the most of it.

The sales ladies in the boutique were all astonished to see the famous Natsume Hyuuga enter their shoppe and he was with a girl, no less!

"Good afternoon, sir, ma'am."

"Good afternoon." Mikan and Natsume replied at the same time.

"Is there anything in particular that you want, sir?"

"Get the lady anything and everything she may want or need." Natsume said, then added,"You also have a resident stylist, I believe?" he asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Very good. We will be attending a black tie event this evening. See to it that she gets all the necessary works." Natsume instructed the girl, then turned to Mikan, smiled, then said, "I'll leave everything up to you then. Do everything as you like it, okay?"

"Understood. Just one thing, sir." Mikan said.

"Shoot." Natsume smiled at her kindly.

"I would just like to know how much my Cost of Living Allowance is." Mikan replied, coloring slightly.

Natsume had to hide a laugh at that. "To make it quite simple, you're asking me how much you can spend."

It was said as a statement not as a question, Mikan realized; so she gave a brief nod as her answer.

"No worries in that aspect, Ms. Sakura. Spare no expense." Natsume replied, smiling slightly at her.

"If you're sure..." Mikan said.

Natsume merely smiled at that. He turned to the young sales lady, gave her a charming smile then said, "Help her pick something, miss."

"Of course, sir. This way, ma'am."

...

...

"I think this will suit you well, ma'am." the sales lady told Mikan while holding up a classic black number that was too revealing for Mikan's taste.

"Uhhmm. I don't think so. That's a little too revealing, don't you think?" Mikan asked the girl.

"Well, it is on the skimpy side but I think that it will show off your great body."

"Alright, I'll try it on. Let's choose a few more before we head to the dressing room, though."

Both Mikan and the sales lady went around the place to get a few more dresses. Mikan picked a total of 5 numbers all in all and she was excited to try them all out. After a few more minutes Mikan went to the dressing room to try out their picks.

"What do you think of this one, sir?" Mikan asked Natsume, a few minutes after she donned on the outfit.

Natsume nearly dropped his cellphone in shock. Mikan was wearing a skimpy black dress that will surely attract more male attention than what he would tolerate. There was no way in heaven and hell that she would get out of this boutique wearing _that_.

"No. That doesn't suit you." Natsume grumbled, Mikan sighed in relief.

After trying out nearly 10 different numbers; all of them having been rejected by Natsume, Mikan was starting to get desperate. Who knew that choosing a dress was such a difficult and tiring task?

Natsume was getting frustrated. No matter what kind of dress she wears, Mikan seemed to look more and more beautiful. All the dresses looked stunning on _her_, heck, even a bloody _sack_ would look stunning on her. All the things she wore were either too short, too tight or too revealing for Natsume to tolerate. Thus, his current frustration.

"What about this one?" Mikan asked him for a hundredth time.

Natsume slowly looked up from the magazine he was reading. The sight that greeted him almost caused him to slip off his chair and fall flat on his face to the floor. Mikan was wearing a red silk bubble dress that was accentuated by a pale yellow, almost white, wide belt. He was dumbstruck.

"I guess this doesn't suit as well." Mikan said after enduring a few minutes under Natsume's silent gaze. She was about to turn around when Natsume's voice stopped her.

"No. It's perfect." Natsume cleared his throat then said, "I mean, it suits you quite well."

"Finally. I was under the impression that this would go on until tomorrow." Mikan muttered under her breath.

"She'll be taking this dress." Natsume told the sales lady.

"What about the styling, sir?"

"Make sure that she gets the best one." Natsume told the girl, then turned to Mikan and said, "I'll be back in an hour or so to fetch you. Would that be agreeable?"

"Can you make it half an hour, sir?" Mikan asked.

"Alright. Half an hour it would be." Natsume gave her a fleeting nod then walked away.

...

...

An hour and five minutes later, Natsume was back in the boutique. He did not know why, but he felt that he must come back as soon as he can. He had this weird impulse to get back to Mikan's side as quickly as he possibly could. Thus, the reason for his being overly early. Mikan was still being styled so he went around the shoppe in an effort to pass the time. Was it just him or did time seem to go slower while he was waiting for her?

A jewelry counter caught Natsume's attention. There were a lot of fine pieces of jewelry on display and he thought that Mikan could definitely use one, not that she needed it. While looking over the fine pieces, a particular set caught his eyes. It was a beautiful diamond set that would have surely looked good on Mikan, but he doubted that she would accept it. He bought it, anyway.

_"She really ought to stop calling me 'sir'."_ Natsume thought.

"Have you been here long,sir?" Mikan's voice snapped Natsume out of his reverie.

"Nope. And drop the 'sir', will you?" Natsume said.

"Sir?"

"I said stop calling me 'sir'." Natsume repeated with a smile.

"And what do you suggest I call you?" Mikan asked.

"Natsume would do just fine."

"Nonsense! I couldn't possibly call you that." Mikan exclaimed.

"Hyuuga-san, then. Anything but sir." Natsume repeated ostensibly.

"Alright, Hyuuga-san." Mikan said with a smile.

"Let's get going shall we?"

...

...

Mikan was mesmerized by the handsome man sitting beside her. Mikan knew that Natsume was handsome but nothing in this world could have prepared her for the charming man that he proved he was. They entered the grand ballroom side by side; with her arms tucked in Natsume's elbows.

The ballroom was heavenly. It was everything Mikan thought it should be, everyone were dressed sophisticatedly and the atmosphere was light and good. It was obvious from the way the preparations were made that Mrs. Hyuuga was well loved by both her husband and son. They have spared no expense to make the party a beautiful one.

"Natsume and Sakura-san!" Ruka exclaimed, "I didn't expect to see you here." Ruka smiled kindly at Mikan.

"Haven't I told you about Ms. Sakura, Ruka?" Natsume asked.

"I don't believe you have." Ruka smiled slyly at the two of them.

"Hyuuga-san has kindly hired me on as his Personal Assistant." Mikan hastily told him.

"Personal Assistant?" Ruka turned to Natsume in amazement.

"Uhuh. Now sod off."

"Whatever you say." Ruka said, smiling at Natsume's obvious annoyance. "I believe your mother will be arriving shortly."

"I hope she likes the surprise." Natsume said. "Come, let's find somewhere we can hide."

Natsume, Ruka and Mikan hurriedly found their place behind the large buffet table. Everyone was anxiously waiting for Mr. and Mrs. Hyuuga to arrive. Mikan watched as a couple entered the ballroom together. The man, who Mikan judged was Natsume's father by his looks was guiding a woman with a blindfold through the threshold.

"You can take off your blindfold now, my dear" Mr. Hyuuga said.

With that everyone jumped from their hiding place and shouted: "Surpise! Happy Birthday, Anko-san!"

Mrs. Hyuuga's mouth dropped in great surprise. She appears to have momentarily lost her power of speech, everyone was waiting for her reply but the said woman burst in tears instead. Natsume stiffened beside her, took her hands then rushed to her mother's side.

"I'm sorry, ma. I didn't mean to upset you. Truly. Please don't cry." Natsume begged.

"Oh, Natsume, Kakashi!" Mrs. Hyuuga burst out, hugging both her husband and only son whilst doing so.

"Anko?" Mr. Hyuuga asked uncertainly.

"This is the most wonderful surprise anyone has ever given me! Thank you."

Everyone burst into a loud applause.

...

...

...

* * *

**a/n:** That ends my fifth chapter. LOVE it? HATE it? DROP me a REVIEW, so I can continue. I also ask you to PRAY that I MAY PASS all the EXAMS that I WILL BE TAKING! :D

If anyone is interested, the link to Mikan's dress is here: **h t t p : / / w w w. n e x t e v e .c o m / i m a g e s / D / F 6 3 0 7 a . j p g**

just remove the spaces.

**P.S. I demand for a REVIEW people. **


	7. Reunion

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* * *

**

DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Gakuen Alice. All credits go to the great Higuchi Tachibana.

...

Explanation of term(s):

**Callous-** hardhearted:showing no concern that other people are or might be hurt or upset

**Dispel-**disperse something: to disperse or drive away something

**Gawk-**stare: to stare stupidly or rudely

**Derisive**-mockingly scornful: showing contempt or ridicule

* * *

...

...

**_Chapter 7. Reunion  
_**

...

...

...

_"She is back! Imai Hotaru-san, heiress and socialite is back in the_

_ limelight after spending a quiet period abroad. The famous socialite_

_ earned her degree in business management from Oxford University fall _

_last year. Like her famous peers, Ms Imai is also an alumni of Alice Academy. _

_The social scene has never looked more alive and jam-packed with excitement _

_and activity. What with the return of Andou Tsubasa-san a few weeks ago and with _

_the return of Imai Hotaru-san earlier this week. Brace yourselves, my dear readers,_

_ because we're all in for social a roller coaster ride with the elite!" _

_-Melissa's Society Papers-_

...

...

...

...

"Look at what you two made me do!" Mrs. Hyuuga told both her husband and son with mock annoyance. "You made me cry in front of everyone!"

Both Natsume and Kakashi grinned at that.

"I love you, darling. And I know for a fact that you love the gesture." Kakashi smiled at his wife lovingly.

"You know what? You're absolutely right. I love it and I have to thank both of you for the wonderful surprise." Anko smiled at both her husband and son.

Natsume smiled back. "I'm glad you loved the surprise, mother."

Mrs. Hyuuga however was far too busy staring at Mikan to hear her son's comment and Natsume, having sensed his mother's inattention noticed the direction of her stare.

"Yes, I see that you've noticed my companion. Ms Sakura, I would like you to meet my mother; Hyuuga Anko, and my father; Hyuuga Kakashi. Mother, Father, I would like you to meet Sakura Mikan-san."

"Sakura?" Anko repeated.

"Yes, ma'am. My name Sakura Mikan. It's an honor to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, my dear." Kakashi smiled at the obviously nervous girl while quirking a curious eyebrow at his son.

Natsume smiled at his father's obvious curiosity. "She's my Personal Assistant, by the way."

"I see. Tell me, dear have we met before? You look awfully familiar." Anko asked.

"I don't think so ma'am." Mikan replied.

"Oh well, it's a pleasure to meet you, dear. I see that Michelle and her husband have arrived. We must go and thank them for coming, Kakashi. If you'll excuse us?"

"By all means, mother. Enjoy your party."

...

...

Natsume gave a sigh of relief the moment his parents left their side.

"You really love your mother, don't you?" Mikan said; it was more of a statement than a question, really.

"Yes I do. And I'm glad to see her so happy." Natsume replied solemnly.

"This party is wonderful. It reminds me of those days." Mikan said wistfuly.

Natsume raised an eyebrow at Mikan's statement, his curiosity was piqued but good manners hammered to his head since birth prevented him from doing so. Mikan looked as if she was relieving a particularly happy memory and he was figuring out a way to ask about it without seeming too obvious when a voice interrupted his thought.

"I see you've gotten yourself in a lot of trouble, Mikan."

Both Mikan and Natsume spinned their heads and came face to face with a beautiful girl with dark shoulder length hair and dark violet pools; she was wearing a violet silk mini-dress with a white tube and waist lining complete with a cute little bow at the side.

"Hotaru-chan!" Mikan exclaimed; shock and pleasure at seeing her best friend evident in her face.

"I see you've been well, Mikan." Hotaru said amiably.

"You're back! I can't believe it! You're really back!"

"How many times do you have to say it before you're content, baka?"

"Don't be mean Hotaru-chan."

"Imai Hotaru." Natsume said blandly.

"Hyuuga Natsume. I see you're every bit of a rake now as when I left Japan." Hotaru observed callously.

"Hotaru-chan!", this coming from Mikan.

"And I see you're every bit as arrogant." Natsume countered.

"Now, now. Break it up, you guys." Ruka, having seen Hotaru approach Natsume and Mikan from the other side of the room intervened.

"Nobody's asking for your opinion, baka." Hotaru told him coldly.

"There, there, _darling. _You would not want to ruin this party now would you?"

"Do not call me darling!" Hotaru exclaimed furiously.

"I'll call you whatever I damn well please." Ruka said.

Mikan wondered at the obvious tension between Ruka and Hotaru. Hotaru was acting so differently; she has never seen her loose control of her emotions in all the years she's known her and it was such a surprise to see her so agitated with Ruka. And she might not know Nogi Ruka for that long but she was certain that he was acting out of character as well. Gone was the kind, considerate guy she has observed from afar. He was obviously worked up with Hotaru.

"Good evening, everyone. Great party, Hyuuga-kun." Tsubasa said, obviously trying to dispel the tension.

Four pairs of eyes stared at him in shock. _'When did _you_ get here?' _was the apparent question in their eyes. Tsubasa merely smiled at them all in return.

"Hotaru-chan, I see you're back." he smiled kindly at Hotaru.

"Hai." Hotaru gave him a small smile in return.

"I trust you have been well?"

"Yes, thank you. It's so like you to remember asking this stuff instead of gawking like some idiot did awhile ago." Hotaru looked at Mikan pointedly.

"I was most certainly not gawking." Mikan exclaimed.

Both Natsume and Hotaru raised derisive eyebrows at her denial.

"I was not." Mikan protested firmly.

"Of course, whatever you say, Mikan-chan." Tsubasa smiled at her.

"Not you too, Tsubasa-kun." Mikan said despairingly.

"I _am_ siding with you." he told Mikan unconvincingly.

"I hate to break the reunion but will someone explain how you guys know each other?" Ruka looked at Mikan, Hotaru and Tsubasa in return.

"We're friends." Mikan replied simply.

"That's right we've all been friends since childhood." Tsubasa stated matter-of-factly.

"I need to talk to Ruka about something, if you three will excuse us?" Natsume addressed them.

"Sure. Let's go, Mikan-chan, Hotaru-chan." Tsubasa said taking both Mikan's and Hotaru's arm in the process.

...

...

"Are you alright, Ruka?" Natsume eyed his friend apprehensively.

"Sure. What gave you the idea that I'm not?"

"Yeah right. We both know what happened between you and Imai before she left for Europe."

"It's nothing, Natsume. I'm over her. Really."

Natsume remained unconvinced by his friend's statement but the look on his face prevented him from pursuing the matter any further. "I'll let this matter rest for the time being then."

They spent a few minutes in companionable silence. Ruka; thinking about Hotaru's return and Natsume; wondering how the return of the said woman will affect his friend.

It was no secret from Natsume that Ruka and Hotaru had a relationship prior to Hotaru's departure five years ago. Ruka fell in love for the first time; and he fell hard, but Hotaru left him with nary a word nor an explanation. Ruka drastically changed after that. Gone was the Ruka who found joy in seducing women. Gone was the Ruka who played and partied as hard as Nartsume does. So no matter how much he denied it, Natsume knew that he was deeply shaken by Hotaru's sudden return.

"I wonder how Sakura-san met both Imai, Andou, and from what I've heard, Harada as well." Ruka wondered loudly, effectively breaking Natsume's train of thought.

"Huh?"

"I said I wonder how Sakura-san know Imai, Andou and Harada."

"What do you mean by that?" Natsume asked him.

"It's quite simple really. Imai, Andou and Harada are all from _our_ social strata. So I'm wondering how Sakura-san knows them all when she is from a different strata. We're clearly missing something here."

"Don't read too much on it, Ruka."

"No really, Natsume. If you think back on what Andou said, they've been friends since childhood."

"Perhaps they were playmates of sorts." Natsume said.

"Exactly. How can a commoner be playmates with them? They're all children of pretty wealthy and powerful families." Ruka countered.

"Give it a rest, Ruka. Perhaps she was the daughter of one of their housekeepers or something."

"Fine. I was just wondering." Ruka sighed in defeat.

"I would invite you for a drink somewhere but I can't just leave. It's my mother's birthday after all."

"I know." Ruka gave another sigh of dejection.

"I'll see if we can leave earlier." Natsume told his friend.

Ruka looked at Natsume in surprise, he knew how much this day meant for Natsume and his family yet he opted to comfort him instead. "You don't have to do that, Natsume."

"I know I don't _have to_ but I _want to._" he told Ruka emphatically. "I know you'll do the same for me."

"Thanks. I owe you one."

"Don't mention it. Now let's go look for my mother to ask for her permission and for Sakura to tell her that she'll have to catch a ride home with someone else."

...

...

"I still can't believe that you came back without saying a word to us!" Mikan exclaimed.

"Forget about that. What's wrong with you and Nogi, Hotaru-chan?" Tsubasa asked curiously.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie, Hotaru. You were both clearly out of sorts with seeing each other, and Nogi-san called you _'darling'_"

"Just to annoy me, I'm sure."

"Hotaru-chan, something was clearly up. You two were both acting so out of characeter."

Hotaru visibly tensed at Mikan's words and Tsubasa, quick to notice the reaction, said "Let's leave it at that shall we, Mikan-chan?"

"But..."

"Why don't you tell us about your travels, Hotaru-chan?" Tsubasa cut Mikan off suavely.

...

...

...

* * *

**a/n:** That ends my seventh chapter. LOVE it? HATE it? DROP me a REVIEW, so I can continue. I also ask you to PRAY that I MAY PASS all the EXAMS that I WILL BE TAKING! :D

If anyone's interested here's the link to Hotaru's dress. **http: / www .nexteve .com / images /D/F6347a.jpg **

just remove the spaces :)

**P.S. It's my birthday!** Instead of a** gift **why don't you guys make me even happier by **dropping a short yet meaningful REVIEW. **I was frustrated by the few reviews for the last chapter. Remember guys, the more reviews I get the faster I can get the inspiration to type up my idea, the faster I upload.


	8. Business?

**

* * *

**

DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Gakuen Alice. All credits go to the great Higuchi Tachibana.

...

**a/n: **I'm having a bit of temper, guys; so let me rant for a while. First, **I AM DEEPLY FRUSTRATED because very FEW PEOPLE REVIEWED my last chapter. **All I ask from you guys is a short review, just to give me an idea what you think of the story so far but I am appalled that a lot of people do read my story but only very few actually review. This lack of response causes me to lose my enthusiasm to update.

Explanation of term(s):

**hostile-** very unfriendly: showing or feeling hatred, enmity, antagonism, or anger.

**genial- **mild: pleasantly mild and warm so as to be conducive to life and growth

* * *

...

...

**_Chapter 8. Business?  
_**

...

...

...

_"Oh my. Word has it that Nogi Ruka-san and Imai Hotaru-san are not_

_in the best of terms. Eyewitnesses claim that their recent meeting_

_at the Ruby Hotel did not end in a good note. Sources also claim _

_that Imai-san is not in good terms with Hyuuga-san as well. I do _

_wonder what caused this rift between them when we all know that_

_ these people normally get along well with others. Puzzling indeed. __" _

_-Melissa's Society Papers-_

...

...

...

...

"Ruka, I just thought you should know that Imai will be coming for this afternoon's meeting." Natsume said.

"And that concerns me why?"

"Don't be an ass. We both know why and besides, I did not want you to be surprised later. I know seeing her again bothers you."

"If you knew that seeing her bothers me, then why the heck did you invite her in the first place?" Ruka inquired.

"For the record, I did not invite _her. _I invited their company; I was not expecting that they send her." Natsume explained.

"And who, pray tell, were you imagining that they send? Her father?" Ruka asked sarcastically.

Natsume, who knew how Ruka was feeling chose to ignore this comment then said,"No, I wasn't expecting that they would send Imai's father. More like her older brother, Imai Subaru."

"You were expecting that they would send their _President_?"

"I didn't think that they would send anyone besides him, just out of respect for my father of course."

"I see, but seeing as they could not afford to spare their President at this busy time of the year, they opted to send the genius daughter instead." Ruka said.

"Correct, seeing as she is a well known genius, they knew that we wouldn't take offense if they send her to proxy for her older brother."

Ruka sighed, then said,"Thanks for telling me, Natsume."

"No problem. Just remember that she'll be coming for business. It would do you well if you put that in mind."

"You didn't need to remind me of that."

Natsume raised a quizzical brow but chose not to comment in his friend's obvious denial.

...

...

Hotaru arrived at the Ruby Hotel a few minutes earlier than when the meeting would actually begin. From the moment she found out that she would be going in her brother's stead for the invitation that they received from the Hyuuga Corporation, she knew that she would have to see Nogi Ruka again.

Seeing him again a few nights ago after years of staying abroad brought back the painful memories of the past; they were the reason why she decided to leave for Europe in the first place. She knew that she had to escape before the pain became too unbearable for her to take.

Hotaru's train of thought was broken by a rather cold voice clearly directed at her.

"Well, well, well. What brings you to this side of the strata, _honey_?" came Ruka's hostile voice.

"Shouldn't I be the one to ask you that, _babe_?" Hotaru countered back.

"Nice return." Ruka nodded his acknowledgment.

"Dirty serve." Hotaru retorted back.

The two eyed each other for several tension filled seconds; but just when they were about to resume their argument, the rest of the party arrived and they were forced to stop.

"If you would follow me, sirs and madams. I shall lead you to the Sapphire Conference Room where Hyuuga-sama is awaiting your arrival." the lady; who was obviously a receptionist, told the crowd gathered in the hotel's salon.

...

...

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I'm glad that you all accepted our invitation for this meeting." Natsume greeted the crowd genially and after they were all settled said,"Now that you've all taken seats, lets talk business."

Natsume rearranged his notes, gave it one last look and turned to the waiting crowd.

"Now, you might all be wondering as to why we have invited you all here. The answer to that question is there, on the business portfolios in front of you. If you would just turn to the 1st page, please."

Natsume motioned Sheila to start the power point presentation that he asked Mikan to do the other day.

"As you could see both in your portfolios and on the screen, my team came up with the idea to invite all of the companies affiliated with the Hyuuga Group to a semi-formal business meeting in our very own private island. This project will serve both as a road to better working relations with you as well as promoting our new _Paradise Hotel_."

"I know that you're all wondering what benefits we can all get from the project. It's simple really, every company that has been invited will have the chance to put on display one of their new products. As for our Group, we get to promote our new hotel with less cost. To make things all the more interesting, we have invited some select members of the media as well."

"This event will turn into a mini-expo open exclusively to your respective companies. The expo will end with a private party hosted by my mother who has invited over a hundred guests. Furthermore, the guests would be allowed to purchase any of the products that they desire." Natsume ended his proposal with a smile.

Everyone present were silently staring at Natsume; and Natsume who could not gauge their reaction based on those silent stares alone, impatiently asked,"So what do you think?"

"Well I must say that I'm surprised by the scale of your project, Natsume. It looks to me as if you're trying to hit several birds with a single stone." Ruka; having been the first one to recover, said.

"Well yes, we are trying to do just that. It would not only save us the time but the costs as well. With this we could take care of business as well as do business while we're all having a good time." Natsume answered.

"I must say that I'm impressed by your suggestion, Hyuuga. I only have a few pertinent question, what kind of products can we put on display?" Hotaru asked.

"We have decided that you can display any product you want. Our only condition is that you can only put one product on display."

"Only one?" a man asked.

"Yes." Natsume answered, he looked at the rest of the party then asked, "Are there anymore questions?"

Natsume waited for several seconds before smiling in satisfaction, then said,"Before you guys go, I would like to inform you that we will be sending out the invitations in a few weeks. Have a good day, ladies and gentlemen. Help yourselves to the refreshments outside."

...

...

"Ms. Sakura, if you'll come inside with me for a moment." Natsume told Mikan as soon as he got off the lift.

"Hai." Mikan replied, while following Natsume inside his private office.

Natsume sat behind his table and motioned for Mikan to sit on the chair opposite his. He cleared his throat then said,"As you know, I have organized an expo to be attended by our affiliates. I distinctly remember you telling me that it would be very much appreciated if I would tell you of our excursions earlier, am I correct?"

"Yes, sir. Please continue."

"Now, in relation to that, I would like to inform you that you would be accompanying me to the said event."

"What about Mitarashi-san, sir?"

"She'll be coming with us, of course."

Mikan sighed in relief, and Natsume; not one to miss such a thing, raised a quizzical brow and asked,"What's with the sigh, Ms.Sakura?"

Mikan went red. "Nothing, sir. It's just that I was thinking that Mitarash-san might take it against me if she's left here."

"No worries with that. And besides, Sheila's not the sort to take that sort of thing negatively. She takes everything at her own stride." Natsume said.

"Oh, I see. By the way, sir. When will this event be?"

"A month from now, I expect. You'll need to pack up only the essentials. A few pieces of business clothes for the day, maybe a few nice pieces for the cocktail dinners, and a nice evening dress for my mother's evening party. Apart from that though, you can just bring casual or beach clothes." Natsume replied.

Mikan was taken aback by Natsume's answer. How the heck did he know that she was about to ask that?

"It's all in your face really." Natsume answered her unvoiced question.

Mikan went red. Was she that easy to read?

"Yes you are, for me anyway." Natsume answered her mental question again.

"Would you stop doing that?" Mikan told him, clearly embarassed.

"Doing what?" Natsume asked as innocently as he could.

"Second guessing my thoughts."

"I'm not second guessing your thoughts, Ms. Sakura. Your face just tells me what I want to know." Natsume said. "Oh, and before I forget, a friend of mine has invited me to a party next Tuesday evening. If you could please get ready for that, it's only going to be a simple evening party."

"Yes, sir. Anything more?" Mikan inquired.

"Only one more thing, Ms. Sakura. Didn't I tell you to drop the 'sir'?"

"I couldn't possibly do that while we're at work. People might misunderstand, sir."

"Good point. You would stop calling me 'sir' when we're not in the office though."

"But-" Mikan began.

Natsume cut her off with a, "That's all for now, Ms. Sakura. You can get back to work."

"H-hai." Mikan replied, bowed then left.

...

...

...

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**a/n:** That ends my seventh chapter. LOVE it? HATE it? **DROP me a REVIEW, so I can continue**. I also ask you to PRAY that I MAY PASS all the EXAMS that I WILL BE TAKING! :D


	9. Beginning

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****

DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Gakuen Alice. All credits go to the great Higuchi Tachibana.

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**a/n: **This chapter is dedicated to **illutia mist.** Thanks for faithfully reviewing and for encouraging me through your review when I was feeling down. :D

Explanation of term(s):

**intolerable-** very unpleasant: very unpleasant or annoying

**unnerve- **make somebody nervous: to cause somebody to feel nervous

**vehement-**with conviction: expressed with or showing conviction or intense feeling

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**_Chapter 9. Beginning  
_**

...

...

...

_"Interesting. Very Interesting. The Island Expo/ Party hosted by_

_the Hyuuga Group begins today. Yes, today. In gatherings such_

_as this, we can all be sure that interesting pieces of news will_

_reach our ears sooner rather than later. Never fear, dear readers_

_for I have made it my new mission to unearth as many pieces_

_ of news as I can. Be rest assured that I'll keep you posted.__" _

_-Melissa's Society Papers-_

...

...

...

...

_Ring! Ring! Ring!  
_

The shrill sound of the alarm clock woke Sakura Mikan with a start. Mikan grumbled at the incessant ringing of the alarm and was tempted to snooze the thing when she realized that she would be late for work if she did that. So she reluctantly got out of bed and proceeded to take a cold shower to will her sleep away.

It was a good thing that she packed her things the other night or she would surely be late. She never was a morning person and when she found out that everyone are to assemble in the Hyuuga's private airport at 6 am sharp, she knew that she had to prepare the night before to avoid being late. To be late was not an option this time because she knew that her boss absolutely hated tardiness. And she'd rather her boss didn't get upset, thank you very much.

Mikan was in the middle of eating her breakfast when her cellphone rang.

"Hello, good morning. Sakura Mikan speaking." she said into the receiver pleasantly

"Ms. Sakura, good morning. It's Natsume. I called to ask you if you have a ride? If you don't I can come and pick you up, just give me the directions."

"Uhmm... there's no need for you to bother, Hyuuga-san."

"Don't worry, it's not a bother."

"I don't really need a ride, Hyuuga-san. I-" Mikan began to explain.

"Of course you do, silly girl. How will you manage in the subway with your baggage?" Natsume asked.

"Tsubasa-kun has already offered to take me to the meeting place, sir."

"Oh. I see. I'll see you there then. Good bye." Natsume grumbled over the receiver and disconnected.

Mikan stared at her phone in befuddlement.

"What happened to him?" Mikan asked aloud.

...

...

"You should have waited inside your apartment." Tsubasa scolded Mikan when he saw her waiting outside her apartment complex.

"Good morning to you too, Tsubasa-kun." Mikan said while giving her friend a huge grin.

"Honestly, Mikan-chan! You exasperate me! What if some hooligan bothered you or harassed you? What if-" Tsubasa's tirade was cut short when Mikan gently put a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"I get the picture. I'm sorry I made you worry."

"Good. Let's get going then. Here, let me carry those for you." he said, reaching for Mikan's baggage.

"Thanks."

Tsubasa lifted Mikan's bags to the car and held the door open for her.

"Wait for me inside while put your bags in the trunk."

Tsubasa went inside and started the car. He knew, even if Mikan didn't say a word, that they had to be on the airport on time. So he wasted no time and eased his car to the relatively empty highway.

"Have you had breakfast, Mikan-chan?"

"Yep. What about you?"

"Uhuh. You know how my mother is, she instructed Mrs. Hemmings not to let me out the door without having a full breakfast." he said with a laugh.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence after that.

...

...

"What has you in such a foul mood so early in the morning, Natsume?" Ruka asked.

"What do you mean by that? I'm not in a bad mood."

"Sure you aren't. What happened, Natsume? Is everything alright?" Ruka inquired with a frown.

"Nothing's wrong. I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"If you're sure..."

Their conversation was interrupted by Sheila's arrival. "Excuse me, sir. Majority of the guests have arrived. They are inquiring after you."

"Tell them I'll be there shortly. One thing before you leave, Sheila."

"Sir?"

"Has Ms. Sakura arrived?"

"Yes, sir. She arrived with Andou Tsubasa-san a few minutes ago."

"About damn time she arrived." Natsume muttered darkly.

"Sir?"

"Nothing. Let's go."

...

...

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I'm glad you could all make it. We will be arriving as soon as we have made sure that everyone is here. My people are doing a head count as I speak." Natsume said as a form of greeting for everyone.

She motioned for Sheila to continue orienting the guests as he stepped back to the sidelines.

"Just a few reminders before we leave. The plane that you will be boarding have been indicated on the ticket that we sent you. Each ticket has a corresponding name of a precious stone on its uppermost left corner. We will be holding a placard bearing the names of the stones on each ticket please follow the person holding your ticket name."

"Second, to the members of the media, please be reminded that the private guests are to be given their privacy. Picture taking will only be allowed during a specific time, non compliance will mean being asked to leave the island. Please be guided accordingly. Thank you." Sheila said then bowed.

...

...

"In what plane are you riding, Mikan-chan?" Tsubasa asked curiously.

"It says here that I'm riding in Diamond seat number 2-A. You?

"We're on the same plane but I'm in seat number 25-A. I wonder what plane Hotaru-chan's gonna be taking?" Tsubasa asked inquiringly.

"Same plane as you two seat number 22-A." Hotaru, who arrived moments before answered Tsubasa's question.

"Hotaru! Good morning!." Mikan greeted her enthusiastically. Just as Tsubasa said, "Good morning, Hotaru-chan."

"Good morning, Mikan, Tsubasa-kun." Hotaru greeted them with a slight smile.

"Hotaru, when are you going to tell us what happened between you and No-" Mikan began.

"You're looking as lovely as ever this morning, Hotaru-chan! The weather in Europe did you good didn't it?" Tsubasa interrupted Mikan's statement smoothly.

Mikan frowned at Tsubasa's interruption but Hotaru gave him a small grateful smile in return.

"Yes well..." Hotaru began.

...

...

Natsume frowned at the sight that greeted him the moment he entered the room. He doesn't honestly have an idea why the sight of his Personal Assistant conversing with and smiling at Andou Tsubasa; or any other man for that matter was such an intolerable sight for him. It positively made his blood boil. He growled when he saw Tsubasa casually drape an arm on Mikan's shoulder and whispered something to her ear which made her smile and nod in return.

"What's the matter with you, Natsume? You sounded positively murderous." Ruka said, effectively interrupting Natsume's train of thought but when his best friend remained unnnervingly quiet he followed Natsume's gaze across and nodded knowingly at what he saw.

"Ah, I see you're jealous." Ruka concluded. A stament not a question.

"I'm not!" Natsume denied vehemently.

"Whatever you say, Natsume. Whatever you say." Ruka said condescendingly.

"Shouldn't you be saying that to yourself?" Natsume growled.

Ruka stared at Natsume, his face devoid of any emotion.

Natsume, having realized what he just said, sighed then said, "That was uncalled for. I'm sorry." He accompanied the statement with a sheepish smile and an apologetic gesture of his hands.

"Apology accepted." Ruka replied promptly.

Natsume heaved another sigh, cocked his head in Mikan's direction, then said, "If you'll excuse me. I have to let Sakura know that she's here to work not to philander."

"I'll accompany you. God only knows what you'll do to the poor girl in that temper." Ruka said, muttering the last bit of his statement while following his best friend's purposeful stride.

...

...

"Maybe you'd like to begin working once you're done here, Ms. Sakura?" Natsume inquired icily, interrupting the trio's cheerful conversation.

"Oh." Mikan exclaimed. She turned around and came face to face with Hyuuga Natsume's scowling face.

"Good morning, Hyuuga-kun, Nogi-kun." Tsubasa greeted them politely while frowning slightly at Natsume's tone; he wasn't liking the way Natsume was treating Mikan at all.

"Good morning." Ruka replied blandly while eyeing Hotaru.

"Uhmm... I'll start working right away, sir." Mikan; having sensed the obvious tension, said. She turned to Hotaru and Tsubasa, gave them an apologetic smile, then said, "I'm sorry. Hyuuga-san is right, I still have work to do. I'll catch up with you guys later, okay?"

"Mikan-chan..." Tsubasa said uncertainly.

"Don't be like that, Tsubasa-kun. We'll be boarding the same plane, right? I'll see you guys then." she said firmly.

_'This is my job, Tsubasa-kun. You have to accept that."_ she told Tsubasa with her eyes but Tsubasa remained as stubborn as ever.

_'Help me out here, Hotaru.'_ she pleaded her best friend with her eyes.

"Oh, for the love of God! Do you plan to make us wait until next year, Ms. Sakura?" Natsume exploded angrily.

"Why you--!" Tsubasa began furiously.

Hotaru placed a restraining hand on Tsubasa's shoulder, then said gently but firmly, " He's right, Tsubasa-kun. Mikan has work to do and we better get going as well. They're starting to form the flight groups." she finished while gesturing to the throng of people beginning to form little groups.

Tsubasa took a calming breath then reluctantly said, "We'll see you aboard, Mikan-chan."

"Yep. You guys go on." Mikan said with a relieved smile.

"We better get going, we need to be the first ones aboard." Ruka stated matter-of-factly. Frowning slightly at Hotaru's hand, still resting on Tsubasa's shoulder.

"About damn time too." Natsume muttered.

...

...

Mikan was in such a hurry to catch up with Natsume's angry stride that she didn't notice the man standing in front of her, just a few feet away. In her haste to walk alongside Natsume and Ruka, she bumped into the stranger and sent her bags cluttering to the floor.

"I'm so sorry, sir." Mikan apologized profusely while hastily gathering her things.

"It's alright. No need to apologize." the stranger said kindly, bending down himself to help Mikan get her bags.

_"Honestly, Ms. Sakura! How long do you intend to keep us all waiting?" _Natsume called out from in fron of her irritably.

"I'm sorry, sir. Thank you for helping me get my things in order. I have to go." Mikan said hastily while bowing low to thank the kind stranger.

"Sure." the stranger smiled at her kindly, at the same time looking at her intensely.

Mikan gave the man one last smile, turned around and ran after her boss's rapidly disappearing back. Unbeknownst to her though, the stranger continued to stare at her with intense, curious eyes.

...

...

* * *

**a/n:** That ends my ninth chapter. LOVE it? HATE it? **DROP me a REVIEW, so I can continue**. I also ask you to PRAY that I MAY PASS all the EXAMS that I WILL BE TAKING! :D

**By the way, the review isn't a request...it's a command! :))**


	10. Irrationality

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DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Gakuen Alice. All credits go to the great Higuchi Tachibana.

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**a/n: **Before you guys burn me at the stake, I think you ought to give me the right to explain. I have at least 2 very valid reasons why I haven't updated for so long. ONE: My PC crashed and I had no way to update because of that. TWO: I just took my last entrance test so I have been trying to actually think about that and not updating. For all its worth, I'm not going to apologize because I haven't done anything wrong. I hope you guys understand.

**P.S**. By the way, I just wanna reassure you guys that Tsubasa is definitely not hitting on Mikan; their relationship is purely platonic. Tsubasa looks at Mikan as a little sister, same goes for Mikan. No worries in that department. :D

Explanation of term(s):

**ethereal- **heavenly: belonging to the sky or the celestial sphere

**pertinent- **relevant: relevant to the matter being considered

**petulant- **sulky: ill-tempered or sulky in a peevish manner

**peevish- **irritable: bad-tempered, irritable, or tending to complain

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**_Chapter 10. Irrationality  
_**

...

...

...

_"Why am I not surprised, my dear readers. Why am I not surprised. Hyuuga _

_Natsume strikes again! After weeks of apparent silence from the roguish _

_bachelor, we see him once again trifling with a lady. And while this piece_

_ of news is admittedly not new at all, so apparently is the lady in question. I _

_have it on good authority to say that he has been seen with the same lady_

_ on several occasions for more than three months now, and considering his_

_ previous track record, this is very puzzling indeed! __" _

_-Melissa's Society Papers-_

...

...

...

...

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the _Paradise Hotel._" Natsume greeted the crowd gathered in front of him.

The crowd was silent, all astounded by the sheer beauty of their surroundings. From the lobby to the surrounding gardens, everything looked perfect. Even the weather did not dare destroy the majesty of the place; the sun was shining brightly but not too harshly, giving the whole place an ethereal charm. Paradise Hotel, indeed!

"Sheila will inform you of the pertinent details. Sheila?" Natsume called.

"Hai. Good morning once again, ladies and gentlemen. Let me convey our sincerest welcome. You all have been given the keys to your respective rooms together with your tickets. Your respective luggage would all be in your room when you arrive, if there is anything you may need feel free to request for the assistance of our staff; they will be more than happy to help. Second, you are all invited to visit our different facilities to relax and enjoy. And finally you are all invited to a cocktail dinner this evening. We wish you a beautiful morning." Sheila ended with a respectful bow and a smile.

The crowd dispersed, all intent to visit the spot of their choice. Mikan was on her way to her room when her boss's voice stopped her on her tracks.

"Ms. Sakura!" Natsume called.

Mikan took sighed, took a deep breath then turned around and said, "Anything I can do for you, sir?" she asked politely.

Natsume was silent for a few seconds, staring blankly at Mikan's impassive face; he cleared his throat then said, "I...I would just like to remind you that we will be having a meeting with our clients this afternoon."

"Yes, I do remember. Anything more, sir?"

"Just one more thing. Will it be alright for you if I ask you to report 30 minutes earlier? I have some materials that I want to go over with you and Sheila."

"Of course, sir. I'll be there at 1:30 sharp. Is that all, sir?"

"Yes."

"If you'll excuse me, I'll go and unpack."

"Of course."

...

...

_'Damn! What was I thinking?!? Why the heck did I have to make up that crap about going over some materials? Now I have to think of some things that still needs to be ironed out. If worse comes to worst, I'll have to delete a friggin' file to make that request look authentic.' _Natsume thought angrily.

Natsume strolled angrily to his suite; he has, once again, gone and done something idiotic. He didn't really have anything in particular that he wanted to tell Mikan when he called out her name earlier, it just slipped out. He regretted it the moment it came out of his mouth and prayed that his voice would be drowned out by the crowd but as always, his prayer wasn't answered.

_'What the heck was I supposed to tell her? That I called out her name by accident? Instead I made up that lie to cover up my idiocy. God, I'm pathetic.' _Natsume scowled darkly at the beautiful scenery outside his window.

At first, he didn't know what the heck he was supposed to say when she turned around and asked what she wanted, he briefly considered admitting that he didn't have anything to say when the idea about going over some materials entered his mind. It seemed to be such a good idea at that time.

_'That girl seems bring out the worst in me. I can't remember the last time that I had to lie just to save my sorry ass from embarrassment. All my sense of self-restraint and logic gets lost along the way when I'm dealing with her.' _he continued petulantly.

Natsume's peevish musing was interrupted by the ringing of his cellphone. He glared at the offending object and contemplated on turning off the damn thing and continue to wallow in his misery, he disregarded this thought when he saw the caller's name on the screen.

"Mother." he greeted the caller politely.

"I assume that you have arrived?" Hyuuga Anko asked her son mildly.

"Yes. Any particular reason why you called, mother?"

"Nothing. Just checking." she huffed, clearly affronted.

Natsume sighed, "Tell you what, mother. I'll call you back later, okay? I'm not in the disposition to talk right now."

"Oh, alright. I'll be waiting for your call."

"Later, mother."

...

...

"Oi, Natsume! Wait up!" Ruka called out.

Natsume stopped, turned around and waited for his friend to cross the short distance. The two continued walking to the hotel's restaurant together; Natsume still inwardly fuming and Ruka smiling brightly at the people they pass. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, they found an empty table and sat down.

"You seem to be in a worse mood than when I last saw you." Ruka observed blandly.

Natsume growled at his friend. "Mind your own damned business, Ruka."

"Definitely worse, you even growled at me."

"Shut up." Natsume said; half annoyed, half desperate.

"Alright, alright. I'll drop the subject."

Silence once again reigned after that, a few moments later, however, it was once again broken.

It was Natsume who broke the silence this time. "Say, Ruka. Have you ever experienced letting your mouth get the better of you?"

Ruka raised his eyebrows in amusement. "What exactly do yo mean by that?"

"You know, when you blurt out something you didn't mean to say or do some impulsive thing that you've never really done before. That kind of stuff."

"Meaning, have I ever made a complete and utter fool of myself?"

"Yep. You nailed it."

"Well, I guess I have. Before." Ruka said mildly.

"Really? When?"

"While I was with Hotaru. Nothing I ever did felt rational at all. My mind gets away from me whenever I was with her. Be it when she smiled or laughed or cried or got mad. Everything just felt so unreal, so irrational."

"I see."

"Any particular reason why you inquired?"

"Nothing really. I was just wondering." Natsume stated as inconspicuously as he could.

"Really?" Ruka asked amusedly.

"Yep, really." Natsume said with a smile.

"Fine, fine. Do you have anything to do this afternoon?" Ruka asked.

"Unfortunately, I do. I have a meeting with a few clients at 2 pm. Why?"

"Too bad, then. I was hoping that we could catch a few waves this afternoon. Wake boarding."

"Too bad, we haven't wake board in a long time. Maybe tomorrow, I'll check with Sheila or Ms. Sakura if I'm free."

"Yeah, do that." Ruka said with a smile.

Their food arrived then and they ate while exchanging a few more words. Ruka was about to tell Natsume something when he spotted Mikan approaching them from the corner.

"Sakura-san is approaching us. Any idea why?" he asked his friend.

"Is it 1:30 already?" Natsume asked, bewildered.

Ruka glanced at his watch then said, "Yeah. Why?"

"I asked her to meet me here at 1:30"

Ruka raised an amused eyebrow at Natsume.

"What? Don't look at me that way. I asked her to come because we need to review some materials before the 2 pm meeting." he said, somewhat defensively.

Ruka smirked at him but made no comment. "Good afternoon, Sakura-san." he greeted Mikan with a smile.

"Good afternoon, Nogi-san, Hyuuga-san." Mikan said with polite smile and a bow.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Sakura. Please have a seat." Natsume said, motioning at the empty chair beside him.

Mikan complied and for the first time took notice of the coffee cups that replaced their plates after having lunch. "I'm sorry for interrupting your meal, sir." she said, addressing it to no one in particular.

"It's quite alright, Sakura-san. I was about to leave when you showed up anyway." Ruka said with a kind smile. He turned to Natsume then said, "I'll be taking off then, Natsume."

"Yeah. Later." Natsume said.

Mikan was about to stand-up and bow when Ruka- who saw what she was about to do- smiled and said, "No need to rise, Sakura-san."

"H-hai." Mikan said with a timid smile.

...

...

"Mitarashi-san is not yet here, sir?" Mikan asked politely.

Natsume inwardly sighed, then said, "I didn't get around to calling Sheila because as I was poring over the materials, I realized that there are only a few minor things that needs to be ironed out."

"I see. Shall we begin, sir?"

"Actually, I have gone over and revised the things that needed revision awhile ago, while Ruka was here." Natsume replied a bit sheepishly.

"Is there anything else that needs my attention, then?" Mikan asked.

"There's nothing really. Though I'd appreciate some company before the meeting starts." Natsume winced at his words.

_'Damn! What did I just say?'_ Natsume asked himself incredulously.

"H-hai." Mikan replied, a bit surprised.

...

...

...

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**a/n:** That ends my 10th chapter. LOVE it? HATE it? **DROP me a REVIEW, so I can continue**. I also ask you to PRAY that I MAY PASS all the EXAMS that I WILL BE TAKING! :D

**By the way, the review isn't a request...it's a command! :))**


	11. Love?

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DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Gakuen Alice. All credits go to the great Higuchi Tachibana.

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**a/n:** I'm so sorry for the late update. School work was grueling this past few weeks and I just couldn't find the time nor the energy to type up this chapter. I'm so sorry, guys.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. Thanks, guys. I love you. :D

Explanation of term(s):

**aggravate- **annoy somebody: to irritate or anger somebody, especially with a continuing or trivial annoyance.

**preposterous-** outrageous or absurd: going very much against what is thought to be sensible or reasonable

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**_Chapter 11. Love?  
_**

...

...

...

_"Well, this is quite puzzling. It seems as if time stood frozen for Hyuuga _

_Natsume. The bachelor's appearances in bars and night clubs have significantly _

_dropped while his attendance to the formal parties that he so often shuns has_

_ considerably improved. Even more puzzling is the fact that he has been seen on all _

_of this events with the very same girl that we have been talking about for weeks. _

_The identity of the said girl is still a big mystery. Who could she be? Has she _

_finally ensnared the 21st century's most elusive bachelor?" _

_-Melissa's Society Papers-_

...

...

...

...

"Ms. Sakura, wait up!" Natsume called out.

The aforementioned lady turned around and fixed him an inquisitive eye. "Sir?"

"Uhmmm...I...would...uhmmm...." he began uncertainly.

"Sir?" Mikan asked, looking exceedingly amused by Natsume's stutters.

"I would like to thank you for the company awhile ago, you know, before the meeting."

She smiled at him and said, "No problem, sir."

Natsume awkwardly cleared his throat then said, "I assume that you'll be attending the party tonight?"

"I guess so. Yes. I probably will. Any particular reason why yo asked, sir?"

"Nothing really, but I would love it if you attend." Natsume said unthinkingly.

"Well in that case then I guess I'll attend this evening." Mikan said with a surprised smile.

...

...

"Gag me." Natsume told Ruka pleadingly.

Ruka, who was reading a book when Natsume came, raised his brows but made no comment.

"Seriously, Ruka. Gag me. Maim me. Anything, just please keep my mouth shut." he said desperately.

Ruka looked at him thoughtfuly then asked, "Would you like me to bring you to the hospital, Natsume? It looks to me as if you've had food poisoning and its making you delirious; but wait it can't possibly be food poisoning because we ate together this afternoon. Hmm, could it be tha-"

Ruka was cut off mid thought with Natsume's furious hiss. "Ruka!"

"What? You couldn't possibly blame me for coming to that conclusion. You're making no sense whatsoever."

"Just do it. Gag me."

"Do you really expect me to do that?"

"I promise I won't get back at you for it later."

"Yeah right." Ruka said sarcastically.

"Really. I won't. Just do it." Natsume pleaded dispairingly.

Ruka gave an exasperated sigh, then said, "Just tell me what the hell is wrong with you!"

Natsume, who have never, let me stress the word _never_ seen or heard Ruka this exasperated paused mid-stride then asked, "I'm really agrravating you, am I?"

"Of course you are! Who wouldn't be aggravated by the way you're acting?"

Natsume stared at him blankly, shocked at how annoyed he sounded. He has seriously never seen his mild mannered friend act this way. Between the two of them, he has always been the one with the temperament.

"I'm sorry. It's just that I....uhmmm....Ms. Sakura...." Natsume continued mumbling incoherently.

Comprehension dawned on Ruka's face and his annoyed expression was replaced with a soft smile. "It's alright. You don't have to tell me anything else, Natsume. I understand."

"You do?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes, I do."

"No, you can't. I don't even understand myself right now." he said crossly.

"Of course you don't." Ruka said with a knowing smile.

Natsume, annoyed at being treated so patronizingly, growled then said, "Why don't you explain it to me, then? Since you're such a friggin' genius."

"You're in love with her."

"In love? Me? With who?"

"Sakura Mikan."

"Yes of course I'm in love with Sa-" Natsume abruptly halted his statement and turned increduluosly at Ruka. "What did you just say?"

"You're in love with Sakura Mikan." Ruka said matter-of-factly.

"I'm not in love with her!"

"Sure you aren't. Look at yourself, Natsume. I've known you for years and I have never seen you act this way before. Especially not over a girl."

"And how can you be so sure that this is about her?" Natsume demanded.

Ruka raised his brows at that. "If this is not about her, then would you mind telling me why you're acting like this?"

When Natsume remained silent, Ruka smiled then asked, "Well? Can you?"

"You very well know that I can't, asshole." he muttered darkly.

Ruka laughed at that. "See?" he said with a smile but then sobered up and said, "Seriously though, Natsume. I won't force you to believe my assessment, but I'm asking you not to ignore it either. Thinking it over would do you no harm."

"Be serious, Ruka. I mean, _me_? _In love_?"

"Just think it over, Natsume."

"I will. Thanks." Natsume said gratefully.

"Don't thank me just yet, Natsume." Ruka replied with a smile.

"Whatever you say then. I'm going back to my room."

One thought entered his mind as he watched his friend walk away; "_I hope for your sake that this turns out okay, Natsume. I'd hate for you to feel the pain that I'm feeling._"

...

...

"_Is it possible? Could I really be in love with her? The idea is preposterous!_" Natsume thought desperately as he made his way to the ballroom.

"_I really can't be in love with her. I just can't. I mean, how could I be? She's hardly my type._" He just comprehend the absurdity him, of all people, falling in love; and falling in love with someone like Mikan Sakura to boot!

"_How can Ruka be right? How can I fall in love with someone like her? Sure, she's kind and she has a nice smile and she's beautiful and sweet and-_ _Stop right there._" Natsume abruptly halted his train of thought.

"_Did I just think of her as sweet?_" he thought astonishingly. "_Don't go into that, Hyuuga. That's unchartered waters._" he told himself warningly. Sure, he's thought of all his previous girlfriends as beautiful and alluring and having a beguiling smile but he has never thought of any of them as sweet.

"_Coward._" one part of his brain told him.

"_Of course not. I merely refuse to venture into unknown territory._"

"_Huh. Coward._"

"_Shut up._" Natsume thought crossly.

"_Make me._"

"_I'll strangle you._" he thought warningly.

"_Hah. Like you could!._"

Natsume shook his head at the absurdity of his thoughts. "_Arguing with myself? I must be going crazy!_ _Perhaps I should take Ruka up on his offer to bring me to the hospital._"

"_Yeah, do that._" his inner voice said sarcastically.

The retort that he was about to deliver was lost as his world quite literally stopped at the sight that greeted him the moment he laid eyes on the object of his tormented thoughts. She looked stunning in a sequined halter royal blue satin bubble dress. The sight made Natsume's heart ache in the weirdest manner.

"_She's not with Andou but she's not alone either._" he thought to himself grimly.

...

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**a/n:** That ends my 11th chapter. LOVE it? HATE it? **DROP me a REVIEW, so I can continue**.

Any guesses as to who Mikan might be with? ;) Hmmm...

**P.S. **I have included the link to Mikan's dress for this chapter. I just thought that some of you guys might be interested. :D

**http: // www. nexteve. com/ images / D/ F6327a. jpg**

Just remove the spaces :D

..

**I'm begging you guys to review! :((**


	12. Conflict

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DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Gakuen Alice. All credits go to the great Higuchi Tachibana.

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**a/n:** A few more chapters before I finally end this story. I would like to thank everyone who have been with me and this story since the beginning and for those who have just started, welcome aboard! I hope that you enjoy! :D

**P.S. **If you guys aren't too busy, maybe you could visit my profile and participate in my poll. Thanks. :)

Explanation of term(s):

**albeit-**even though: used to introduce a statement that modifies a statement just made.

**proffer-**hold something out: to hold something out to somebody so that he or she can take or grasp it.

**belie-**show to be false: to show that something is not true or real

***_**note: all dialouges in italics are supposed to be thoughts. **Since it has been quite a while since I last updated, I would suggest that you guys re-read the previous chapter, just to refresh your memory. _:)

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**_Chapter 12. Conflict  
_**

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_"What's this news I hear? Hyuuga Natsume actually refused a girl!_

_No need to go back and re-read the previous sentence, my dear reader_

_ because I am confirming it. HYUUGA NATSUME, rake extraordinaire, REJECTED _

_A GIRL! I never thought that I'll be using the words rejected, girl and Hyuuga_

_Natsume in one sentence, but there you go. I just did. What is happening _

_to the world? Could France have collided with Great Britain? Perhaps the _

_London Bridge has indeed fallen down? All I know is this is not the same world_

_that I have woken up to just this morning." _

_-Melissa's Society Papers-_

...

...

...

...

Natsume strode purposefuly to the other end of the room and he had but one thing in mind; and that was to get that man away from Mikan as fast as possible.

_"That girl is honestly going to be the death of me. Of all the people she can meet, why does it have to be him?" _he ranted.

_"So now you're jealous? Yet you continue to insist that you feel nothing for her." _retorted Natsume's inner voice.

_"Just shut up, why don't you?" _Natsume retorted back furiously.

_"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever you say then."_

_"Thank you."_ Natsume replied sarcastically.

With that done, Natsume refocused his entire attention to the annoying sight across the room from him.

_"I can't believe this girl! She goes and finds trouble the moment she leaves my side!" _Natsume thought exasperatedly. Truth be told though, he rather liked that guy; he's always been amiable and nice but once he saw him with Mikan, all the good qualities that he liked about him flew out the window.

_"She better have a damn good reason for talking to a virtual stranger." _Natsume continued to fume, _"Though he's essentially a nice sort of guy, he's in the same boat as I am. Damn if he isn't entertaining thoughts about Mikan right now." _

With that thought in mind, Natsume increased his pace and when he finally reached the duo, "Good evening, Sakura-san. I see that you decided to attend this evening's gathering. " he said in a voice belying his composed countenance.

...

...

"Good evening, miss."

Mikan turned around and found herself staring at an unfamiliar, albeit smiling face.

"Will I be correct in assuming that you don't remember me?" he said with a kind smile.

"Uhhmm... Yes?" Mikan replied hesitantly.

"You bumped into me this morning." he said; and when Mikan continued to stare at him uncomprehendingly, "You were in such a hurry to board the plane this morning, it's no wonder you don't remember meeting me."

At that statement, Mikan's hazy memory of this morning's flurry focused on the handsome man he bumped into before she boarded the plane. Her fazy lit up with a friendly smile as she directed her stare to the smiling gentleman in front of her.

"Oh! Now I remember." she said with a smile; then affably continued, "I'd like to apologize again for what happened this morning."

"No harm done." he said with a gentle smile, "I'm Suoh Kenji, by the way. May I know your name?"

Mikan eyed the man standing in front of her, he was tall and well built. His strong chiseled facial features was coupled with chestnut hair, his ruggedly handsome looks were somehow softened by kind, smiling hazel eyes the color of warm, melted milk chocolate and honey. The manner by which he carries himself speaks of good education and excellent family backgrounds.

"I'm Sakura Mikan. Nice to meet you." Mikan replied genially; while extending her hand.

He took her proffered hand with a smile, "Are you also here as a guest?" he inquired politely.

"Oh no. I'm here for business."

"That was the wrong thing to ask, I guess." he said with a grin, "We're all here for business, in one way or another. What I meant was, what company are you representing?"

"The Hyuuga Group, I guess. I work for Hyuuga Natsume-sama; I'm his Personal Assistant."

"Oh, I see. I think that explains why he was at your neck this morning."

"Oh, that? He's really like that when he's stressed but over all, he's a kind person."

"Have you been working for him for long?"

"Not really. It's only going to be my 4th month this coming Wednesday."

"I see. Tell me, Sakura-san are you-"

_"Good evening, Sakura-san. I see that you decided to attend this evening's gathering. " _Natsume's malevolent voice interrupted Kenji mid-sentence.

"Hyuuga-san, good evening." Mikan said with a friendly smile.

Natsume breathed a sigh of relief at Mikan's friendly welcome, it could only mean that she was glad he arrived; and his mood was instantly bouyed by that.

"I see you have company." he tried to say as nonchalantly as he can, "Suoh."

"Hyuuga." the other man nodded, acknowleding his greeting.

Mikan looked back and forth from one man to another, puzzled by the obvious antagonism coming from Natsume's general direction. "You two know each other?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, yes. Haven't I told you? The Hyuuga Group does a significant amount of business with their company." Natsume told Mikan.

"I see. So you're here as the representative of your company?" Mikan inquired politely.

"I guess so, I am." he said with a non-comittal shrug and a smile.

"If you would excuse us, Suoh. Sakura-san and I have business to talk about."

"Oh, sure. It was a pleasure to meet you, Sakura-san. I hope that we see more of each other in the future." he told Mikan with a friendly smile; then to Natsume he said, "It's good to see you again, Hyuuga."

"It's been a pleasure to meet you too, Suoh-san." Mikan said with a pleasant smile.

"Yeah, same goes for me." Natsume responded grudgingly, "Let's go, Sakura." he turned back then said, "See you around, Suoh."

He gave Mikan one final smile and Natsume a wave; then said, "Sure."

...

...

Natsume focused his attention to the girl walking obliviously by his side, he just can't get how someone like her could make him do all those stupid stuff.

_"I must be going crazy. Antagonizing Suoh like that."_ Natsume thought grimly, _"The basic rule in this society is never to burn your bridges. What was I thinking? Suoh has always been an amiable man, he has never done anything remotely unpleasant to me. In fact, he has been anything but courteous." _

Natsume was still silently pondering on his actions when Mikan's hesitant tap interrupted his train of thought.

"Sir?" she began hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Was there anything in particular you wanted me to do?"

Natsume inwardly cringed, "I...uhm...uh... What's my schedule for tomorrow?"

"Well, let's see... as far as I can remember, you have a meeting from 9 until 10 o'clock in the morning with some investors. Then at 10:30 you are scheduled to monitor the facilities at the hotel. You also have a lunch meeting with the Kishimoto Group representative at 12 o'clock."

"What about in the afternoon?"

"Well, I'll still have to check but as far as I can remember, you have the rest of tomorrow afternoon free."

"Call me later to confirm that."

"Of course. If that's all, I'll be taking my leave, sir."

"Yes, of course. Don't forget to call me about my schedule later."

"Yes, sir."

...

...

"Mikan-chan!" Tsubasa's voice called.

Mikan turned around and walked to where Tsubasa was currently standing.

"I saw you with Suoh awhile ago."

"Suoh? Oh, that's right I was with him a couple of minutes ago. Tell me one thing, Tsubasa-kun, why do you know him too?"

"_Too_?"

"Yep, Hyuuga-san came over to ask me about his schedule and he seemed to know Suoh-san quite well."

"I'm wagering he does. It's a wonder you haven't heard of him yet."

"Why? Am I supposed to know him?"

"Well, I guess so. Now that you're venturing into this world again." Tsubasa said; and when Mikan raised her brows at his statement, he said,"You've been attending society gatherings since you started your job. Not that I object or anything, it's time you take your rightful place."

"I'm not taking any place whatsoever. I'm just doing my job."

"C'mon, Mikan-chan. Surely you-"

"Let's not talk about this here, please. Just continue with your story." Mikan said a tad impatiently.

Tsubasa sighed but made no comment,"As I was saying, 'Suoh' is a big name."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, the Suohs are one of the wealthiest there is. If I am to say so myself, they probably stand equal with the Hyuugas in wealth and prestige. The one you were talking to awhile ago, was Suoh Kenji."

"So he told me." Mikan said with a shrug.

"He's not just any Suoh, he's the sole heir to all of his family's wealth, pretty much the same as Hyuuga, I guess. Both his parents are dead and his only living relatives are his grandfather and aunt. Rumor has it though, that he has been searching for a long lost cousin."

"Long lost cousin?" Mikan inquired curiously.

"That's right, based from what I've heard, this cousin is the daughter of a banished aunt who died in an accident years ago. If what the stories are telling us is true, Suoh's grandfather; consumed with remorse, is slowly weakening and the doctors told Suoh that the only thing that can save his grandfather is peace of mind. So Suoh, has been looking for this cousin for years now."

"Years?"

"Uhuh. After this aunt was banished, the Suoh family cut all ties with her and she literally vanished from the face of their universe. Years after the said estrangement, news of this banished aunt's death reached their ears, and Suoh's grandfather who had been trying to find his daughter for a reconciliation was devastated by this news. Further investigations however, said that Suoh's banished aunt had a daughter and this news gave Suoh's grandfather new hope, if he wasn't able to make it up to his daughter, he could at least make it up to his granddaughter, but after years of investigation, they still could not find the missing granddaughter."

"You mean to say that they have been trying to find someone they are not even sure exists?"

"Well, not really. The question is not so much as her existence but wether or not she's still alive. There are pictures to prove that this banished aunt did indeed have a daughter, but nobody has seen the girl since the death of her parents."

"Wow. I never thought this things actually happen in real life." Mikan said wonderously.

"Well, welcome back to the world of drama and intrigue." Tsubasa said with a wicked grin.

All the talk about banished aunts and death caused by accident caused Mikan to remember her own parents, who died in a plane crash when she was but 7 years old. Her parents' death brought uncertainty to his once happy life, and her parents, who both had no relatives; stated in their will that should anything untimely happen to them, all their possessions were to be left to their young daughter and that she was to be taken cared off by their bestfriends, Harada Misaki's parents.

The sudden trip down memory's lane had Mikan involuntarily reaching for the memento her parents gave her before they died, a necklace. A tremor of pure horror shot down her spine as she felt nothing around her neck.

_"No, it can't be! I couldn't have lost it!"_ Mikan thought desperately, frantically looking around.

"Is anything amiss, Mikan-chan?" Tsubasa, who sensed Mikan's distress, asked worriedly.

"My necklace! Tsubasa-kun, it's missing! My necklace is missing!" Mikan said with a choking sob.

"The one that your parents gave you?"

"Yes, yes! It's missing! What do I do, Tsubasa-kun? What do I do?" she said with a touch of desperation.

"Are you sure that you wore it before you came here?"

"Yes, you know I never remove it."

"Don't worry, Mikan-chan. We'll find it. We'll look for it together. How about you search here while I search outside."

"Yes. That's right we'll find it. Thank you so much, Tsubasa-kun."

...

...

Mikan desperately inspected the ballroom, she almost gave up when the familiar sight of her necklace caught her eyes. She hastily ran towards the man holding her necklace; he was looking at it with such a stunned expression mixed with an unexplainable light of hope.

"My necklace! That's my necklace! You found my necklace, oh thank you! Thank you!" Mikan said joyously.

"This is yours?" the man asked uncertainly.

"Yes! That's mine, you have no idea how much that means to me, my parents gave this to me before they died in a plane crash. Thank you, thank you so much!"

The man took Mikan's hands looked into her eyes, then said, "You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this day." he took Mikan in a bone crushing hug, "Thank God. I finally found you."

...

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**a/n:** That ends my 12th chapter. LOVE it? HATE it? **DROP me a REVIEW, so I can continue**.

**Feed my starving soul. DROP ME A REVIEW PLEASE. D:  
**


	13. Confusion

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DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Gakuen Alice. All credits go to the great Higuchi Tachibana.

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**a/n:** I got this interesting anonymous review made by a girl(?) whose name was _**bea**_, she was asking me whether I was a girl or a boy, how old I am and where I'm from. Is that freaky or what! (Nah, just kidding.=)) Thanks for making me laugh.) If you're reading this right now, I suggest that you visit my profile. ;)

By the way, I've been meaning to tell you guys, **visit my profile.** I have posted **a poll.** I seriously need your opinions, it'll give me a good plan of action for another story before I retire(?).

Explanation of term(s):

**addle-**befuddle: to confuse or muddle somebody, or become confused or muddled.

**cryptic**-ambiguous or obscure: deliberately mysterious and seeming to have a hidden meaning.

**decipher-**work out meaning of something: to study something that is written in code or in an unknown form of writing until it can be understood and read normally.

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**_Chapter 13. Confusion  
_**

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_"I guess there's no sense in postponing the inevitable. Some things just _

_have to be said. Well here goes, I will be telling you something that never_

_in your wildest dreams you could have thought possible. I'm requesting _

_you, my dear readers, to hold on tight to your seats because I won't be_

_held responsible for the injuries of the people who'll fall flat on their faces_

_because of this news. Are you ready? Here I go! I think that HYUUGA_

_NATSUME may be IN LOVE! With who? That's something I still have_

_to uncover, if one thing is certain though, she's not someone we know." _

_-Melissa's Society Papers-_

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...

__

Mikan desperately inspected the ballroom, she almost gave up when the familiar sight of her necklace caught her eyes. She hastily ran towards the man holding her necklace; he was looking at it with such a stunned expression mixed with an unexplainable light of hope.

"My necklace! That's my necklace! You found my necklace, oh thank you! Thank you!" Mikan said joyously.

"This is yours?" the man asked uncertainly.

"Yes! That's mine, you have no idea how much that means to me, my parents gave this to me before they died in a plane crash. Thank you, thank you so much!"

The man took Mikan's hands looked into her eyes, then said, "You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this day." he took Mikan in a bone crushing hug, "Thank God. I finally found you."

...

...

Mikan stood shell shocked, too dazed by the man's abrupt hug, she did nothing but stand unmoving. Her addled brain still left stunned by the unexpected hug, she could do nothing but sputter incoherently but when she finally regained her ability to think coherently she could say nothing else but a weak yet firm, "Let go of me. Please, let go of me, sir."

Kenji's overjoyed mind finally processed Mikan's insistent statement and he slowly released her from his death grip; all the while keeping a tight hold on her shoulders, as if he was afraid that she'd fade away into oblivion if he somehow slackened his grip, "I'm so glad, so glad!" he whispered gruffly, his voice made coarse by extreme emotion.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean by that." Mikan said, still too confused by the recent happenings for her to fully realize that Kenji still has a firm grip on her shoulders.

"Forgive me." he said apologetically, "It's just that I'm so relieved that I finally found you after all these years."

"Relieved? Finally found? What do you mean by that?"

"You have no idea, no idea at all how hard we've all been looking for you."

"Would you please stop giving me such cryptic answers? How do you expect me to understand what you are telling me if you insist on giving me answers I could not decipher."

"I'm sorry, I'm just too elated to make a coherent response right now. Perhaps we could talk somewhere private so that I could explain my what this is all about?"

_"She won't be going anywhere with you!"_ a livid voice interjected.

Both Mikan and Kenji swiveled around to find the source of this thundering statement and they came face to face with none other than Hyuuga Natsume, his face taut with anger and his fists balled to a tight fist in an effort to control his raging temper.

"Listen, you. I don't know what gave you the idea that you could go and grab random people in my hotel. Being a guest here does not give you the right to manhandle nor harass any of my employees!" Natsume said furiously.

"I beg your pardon?" Kenji asked exasperatedly, "I am not harassing anyone!"

"And I suppose that grabbing my secretary against her will does not qualify as harassment?"

"For the last time, Hyuuga. I was not harassing your secretary. I was about to explain my behavior when you rudely interrupted our conversation."

"Let's hear it then. You better have a damn good reason, because if you don't I'm kicking you out right this second and I don't care how you get back to civilization because I won't be lending you my plane." Natsume threatened.

"Nice try, that not so subtle threat may have worked if I did not own a plane myself." Kenji replied acerbically, "And what gave you the idea that you're included in my explanation?"

"Why you!"

"Listen, Hyuuga. I really don't have the time nor the inclination to stay in your company any longer. Let's go, Sakura-san." Kenji said, holding out his hand to Mikan.

Mikan, who have been quiet all through out the exchange, looked at both Natsume and Kenji in hesitation; clearly confused as to who she should follow. After a moment of uncertainty, she finally turned to follow Kenji.

"Don't go with him, Sakura." Natsume pleaded.

Mikan turned around to once again stare at him and for a moment, it looked as if she would return to Natsume's side when she bowed her head and said, "I'm sorry, Hyuuga-san. I'm going with him, I feel as if this is what I must do. I'm really sorry." she whispered.

Natsume stared at Mikan, hurt palpable in his crimson eyes. "Please. I beg you, stay. Stay with me, Mikan." _I love you_, he wanted to add.

Mikan stood looking at Natsume dumbfounded. Never in all her four months of knowing him had she ever thought Natsume to be the type to beg. He just usually went ahead and took whatever it was that he wanted without bothering to ask for the opinion of others, it was a quality that Mikan alternately adored and despised.

"Sakura-san, please. I have something important that I have to tell you. I need you to come with me but I won't force you to." Kenji implored.

Mikan sighed a wistful sigh then said, "I'm sorry, Hyuuga-san. I'm going with him, I feel as if going with him would be the right thing to do. Please understand." she pleaded him with her eyes.

Natsume looked at her with wounded eyes, his unsteady voice a testament to the intensity of his emotions. "And staying with me won't be?"

"I'm sorry." Mikan said turning around to leave. "Truly, Hyuuga-san. I'm so sorry. Please understand."

Natsume said nothing, looking at her through hooded eyes. With one last glance at her retreating back, Natsume gave a deep sigh then turned around and headed for the bar.

...

...

Mikan silently followed Suoh Kenji to a private alcove adjacent to the party hall, all the while thinking of the look on Natsume's face.

_"I've never seen him looking so...so..._desolate." Mikan thought. _"He's always been fiery and determined, I've never seen him looking so defeated." _Mikan sighed a desolate sigh.

Kenji, who have been doing his best not to break Mikan's reverie could bear her constant sighing no longer and when they finally reached the alcove, he tapped her shoulder, "Here, sit." he said while motioning for her to take a sit on the sofa adjacent his.

Mikan remained silent, opting instead to let the mysterious man begin the conversation.

"I'm sorry. I've caused you trouble, you don't have to worry though. I promise everything will turn out well."

"I'm afraid that Hyuuga-san really won't forgive me this time." Mikan sighed.

"Look, tell you what, I promise I'll help you deal with him later, okay? Do you want to hear my story now?"

"Would I have come with you if I didn't?" she asked rhetorically

"Before I begin, let me ask you one thing. That necklace, is that really yours?"

"I don't see how my necklace has anything to do with this but for conversation's sake, I'll tell you. This necklace was given to me by my mother as a present. Just before she met an unfortunate accident that took away both her and my father's lives."

"Your parents died of an accident?" Kenji inquired; and once again his eyes filled with an unexplainable hope.

"Yes, they did. It was a plane crash that took their lives. It happened when I was very small."

"My remaining doubts have been dispelled by that."

"Doubts?"

"Let me tell you a story. You probably don't know this but my family is, humility aside, one of the most prominent there is. My grandfather, who founded our company, had two daughters and a son. He loved all his children but his youngest daughter was the apple of his eyes. My father always told me that grandfather loved Aunt Lilian best, he loved her even more than he loved Aunt Fuyuumi, his first born or even him, his only son and rightful heir. Grandfather had always hoped that Aunt Lilian would marry into a wealthy family."

Mikan listened, enthralled by the extraordinary tale that was slowly unraveling.

"Unlike your everyday fairytales though, the beautiful princess fell in love with an unsuitable man. He was a good man, an honest man but he was neither rich nor was his family prestigious in any way. Aunt Lilian fell in love with him, and she listened neither to my grandfather's threats nor her siblings' pleas to change her mind. She's always been rather headstrong and she hated the fact that people around her seemed to be hell bent on controlling her life."

In her mind's eye, Mikan saw the beautiful princess of the Suoh family, she saw her story. Sympathized with her.

"Grandfather was furious by Aunt Lilian's insistence to stay with the man, and in his typical willful ways, told Aunt Lilian that under no circumstance should she see the man again. Both my father and Aunt Fuyuumi tried to reason with grandfather, but he would not hear any of it. He was adamant that Aunt Lilian must never get together with him; and when Aunt Lilian failed to make grandfather see her point, she ran away. She eloped with the man and never came back home."

Mikan gasped, so this was the truth behind the Suoh family's tragedy.

"When grandfather learned of my Aunt's elopement, he was livid; and in a fit of fury declared that he was disowning his favorite daughter. It broke his heart to do so, but grandfather had always been a hard man; he believed that he must always remain firm no matter what. Years passed and my grandfather slowly resented his impulsive decision. He sought out the country's best investigators and paid them to find Aunt Lilian, after months of searching, they finally found where she and her now husband was."

"The extensive investigations revealed that my aunt's husband was now a very successful businessman and was, in his own right, quite reasonably well of. This made my grandfather happy, knowing that Aunt Lilian had a good life made it easier for him to assuage his conscience. More to grandfather's delight, he found out that Aunt Lilian also had a daughter, he was simply ecstatic. He sent a message to my aunt and her husband pleading them to come and meet him. They agreed but on their way to meet my grandfather, they met an accident. Their plane crashed and they both died."

Mikan's mind began to churn, this story was so like her parents'.

"Grandfather was heartbroken. He sunk into a deep depression when he found out; but when official investigations revealed that my aunt and her husband did not take their little daughter to travel with them, my grandfather defocused all his energy into finding my cousin. He searched and searched, days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and months into years, but we found no sign of her."

"I don't get it, was has all these got to do with me?" Mikan asked.

"Aunt Lilian married a guy named Takeshi Sakura." this statement followed by a gasp, coming from Mikan. "The necklace that you are wearing around your neck was a present for your mother by grandfather on her 18th birthday, it has the family crest on it. You are my missing cousin." Kenji said with a big, happy smile.

"Wait. How can you be so sure? What makes you so positive that I am indeed your cousin?"

"You look exactly like my aunt, that's why when I first so you, I was determined to get close to you no matter what. I was prepared to order an extensive background search but your necklace is proof enough."

"You're my cousin?"

"That's right." he said with a big goofy grin.

"Grandfather? What about grandfather? How is he?" Mikan asked tearfully, a sob threatening to break out.

"He's been wanting to see you, Mikan." he said with a smile, and as an afterthought said, "By the way I hope it's fine if I call you by your given name."

"You can address me however you please. I need you to take you to take me to grandfather."

"That's what I wanted to ask you." he said joyfully. "Pack your bags, I'm taking you to grandfather tonight."

...

...

_Dear Hotaru and Tsubasa-kun,_

_I'm sorry for leaving without informing you first but something urgent_

_came up and I needed to leave the island with Suoh-san. I promise to_

_explain as soon as I am done. Please don't be mad at me and please _

_apologize to Hyuuga-san for me. Tell him I'm truly sorry._

_Mikan_

...

...

Ruka went back to the bar as soon as he guided Natsume back to his room. His best friend was wasted and he hated seeing him so heartbroken, this is the first time that he fell in love with anyone and it was such a pity that he would never get to experience the happiness of being with the one he truly loved.

_"I'm one to talk." _Ruka thought ruefully, _"I'm pretty messed up myself. Seeing Hotaru again brings back so many memories both good and bad. Sometimes I get this urge to haul her back to my arms and kiss her senseless just so she'd admit that she misses me as much as I miss her. Other times I just want to throttle her for being do darned indifferent."_

Ruka made his way through the now silent corridors. It's amazing how the world continues to turn when the world of somebody else has been tilted off its axis, only goes to show that the world does not revolve on one person alone.

_"When Natsume first confided in me about his mixed feelings regarding Mikan Sakura, I did not think, not even for a moment that everything in his world would come crashing down because of her. If only I knew." _

Inspite of appearances, Ruka feels a bit protective of Natsume. He is his best friend after all. _"I know most of the time it looks as if Natsume does not need anyone to shield him but I know better. He is as human as any of us and being his best friend I would have done anything in my power for Natsume not to experience the pain that I am feeling."_

Ruka continued wandering aimlessly and his feet unwittingly took him to the terrace out looking the ocean. The night was peaceful, the moon bright and the breeze was just right. The terrace was designed so that it could accommodate guests who wanted to enjoy the view, there were benches and tables, outdoor umbrellas and potted plants.

Ruka decided that indulging his whim to gaze at the night sky would do him no harm and he was about to take a seat when he saw the one person that he's been thinking of all night.

_"Well, well, well. Speak of the devil and she will appear."_

...

...

...

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**a/n:** That ends my 13th chapter. LOVE it? HATE it? **DROP me a REVIEW, so I can continue**.

**Feed my starving soul. DROP ME A REVIEW PLEASE. D:  
**


	14. Truth

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****

DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Gakuen Alice. All credits go to the great Higuchi Tachibana.

...

**a/n:** This is it, guys! The mystery of Ruka and Hotaru's past. Sit back, relax and enjoy. :D

Explanation of term(s):

**crème de la crème**- elite:the very best of a group of people or things.

**rhetorical question- **question requiring no answer:a question asked for effect that neither expects nor requires an answer.

**daft- **not sensible: obviously silly or unreasonable.

* * *

...

...

**_Chapter 14. Truth  
_**

...

...

...

_"Tinseltown is buzzing, ladies and gentlemen. Indeed, my assumption _

_was correct. Any event that involves cooping up society's crème de la crème in _

_a single place for a considerable amount of time will give us something interesting _

_to talk about. Word has it, my dear readers, that something or rather someone has _

_been taken back to the Suoh Mansion from the island, even more puzzling is that, _

_if witnesses are to be trusted, she is the very same girl that I have been writing _

_about for months now. This girl proves to be more interesting than we first gave _

_her credit for. Though that point is rather moot now, and I'm quite sure that each _

_and everyone of you is asking the very thing that I have been wondering about. _

_What the heck is this girl doing; leaving the island with Suoh Kenji when _

_we she and Hyuuga Natsume are clearly so besotted?" _

_-Melissa's Society Papers-_

...

...

...

...

Ruka turned around to leave when the distinct voice of Imai Hotaru stopped him dead on his tracks. "There's no need to leave on my account, Ruka. I'm quite sure that you won't perish if you share the balcony with me."

Ruka eyed Hotaru curiously; there was something different about her tonight. There was a different quality to the way she was carrying herself; she seemed softer, gentler, more real. She seemed more _human_. This was the Hotaru that he fell in love with all those years ago.

Ruka sighed, "You're right. I guess there would be no harm in that, for old time's sake." he said, shifting his weight a bit to sit on the chair opposite Hotaru's.

_"What am I doing here?" _Ruka thought desperately to himself, _"Just seeing her like this gives me so much pain. I hate feeling this way, I feel as if she's trampling my heart all over again." _

Hotaru watched Ruka out of the corner of her eyes. His face was the perfect mask of calmness and serenity but his tensed shoulders told her of a different story. _"I'm sure that he wants to shout at me right now. Other factors not considered, leaving him without any explanation was a cruel move on my part. I just wish that we could somehow go back to being friends, just like we used to."_

Ruka heard another wistful sigh from Hotaru and he decided that he might as well take this opportunity to have a decent conversation with her, "How have you been this past few years, Hotaru?"

Hotaru, who was deep in thought, was startled by this question. "Fine, I guess. Oxford has been challenging to say the least."

"I have no doubt that you gave all your classmates a run for their money." Ruka said with a slight smile.

"Well, being a smart aleck has always been my forte." she replied with a smile of her own.

Ruka laughed. This was the loud, booming laugh that Hotaru missed most. She never thought that she'd hear that laugh again; and now that she had, she was glad she did. "How about you? How have you been, Ruka?"

Ruka gave her a pointed look, could it be possible that she had no idea how much her leaving him had affected his life? "I've been okay. Actually, I'm better than okay. I've taken over my father's business and everything's going well. I couldn't ask for anything more, really." _Except to have you back.  
_

"Well that's good to hear. I'm sure that your father is happy to see his hard work on such capable hands."

"Thanks." he said with a heartfelt smile, "Coming from you, that's a real compliment."

Hotaru smiled at that, "Well, I've never been referred to as tightfisted when it comes to compliments. I give credit where it is due."

"I guess." Ruka replied, and after a moment of hesitation asked, "Tell me, Hotaru, do you know anything about Sakura-san's rather hasty departure?"

"Both Tsubasa-kun and I have as good a guess as both you and Hyuuga has. All we know are the stuff that she wrote on her note, and since we showed you that one too..." she said with a shrug.

"I see." Ruka sighed. "I just wish that she explained stuff to Natsume before she left. The poor guy is heartbroken."

"I'm sure he'll get over it." Hotaru said with a careless shrug. "Mikan will tell us the whole story when she's ready. The fact that she specifically wrote to apologize to Hyuuga ought to count for something."

"You're wrong. Sometimes, people just can't forget the pain of getting abandoned by the person they love." Ruka said, and they both knew that he wasn't just talking about Mikan and Natsume now. "Tell me why you left." he pleaded, hurt and desperation palpable in his gruff voice.

"I...I can't. I'm sorry. I have to go." she said softly; and when Ruka continued looking at her with wounded eyes, she averted her gaze. "I have to go see my brother." she mumbled.

She was silent for a moment, gathering her strength to once again walk away from this man. The man she loved most in the world. "I have to go." she repeated firmly, as if to convince herself.

She took another moment to compose herself, and after she did, it looked as if nothing emotional had come to pass. Her face hardened into an impassive mask and her chin lifted in an unconscious instinct to shield herself from the pain. She was about to stand up and walk away when Ruka's bitter query halted her dead on her tracks.

"Running away again, Hotaru?"

She gave him a cold look, then replied, "Of course not. Running away has never been my style, I'm merely taking a strategical exit."

"Don't give me that. You're running away and you know it. Just like you did three years ago."

"What makes you so sure that I'm running away? Don't you dare act as if you know me!" Hotaru hissed venomously.

"Your brother isn't even here, sweetheart." he said a more gently. "Of course I know you're lying." Hotaru's cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "Please, Hotaru. Tell me what I did to deserve your desertion." he pleaded once again.

"So now I'm the bad guy? All of a sudden you're the victim of the evil cold bitch who deserted you? All of a sudden I'm the reason why things between us didn't work out?"

Ruka looked at her incredulously, "What are you implying? That you leaving me was all my fault? I don't remember doing anything to make me deserve your abandonment!"

"Are you telling me that you have no idea why I left?" she said spitefully.

"The hell if I do. I've been punishing myself these past three years trying to figure out what I did wrong."

"Very well, if you insist on that. Then I'll tell you why. I left because...because I didn't think that I was good enough for you. I don't think I still am." she said sadly.

"The hell you are! Whatever gave yo that idea?"

"Surely you know how many women would kill to be your girlfriend?" she asked rhetorically, mockery evident in her voice.

"I'm not sure what these other women has to do with the two of us but just for the record, none of them could ever compare with you." he said sincerely.

"Don't be daft. I'm not only talking about those women, Ruka. I'm talking about you as a whole. I mean, look at you; you're kind and smart, friendly, loyal and trustworthy. You have everything, Ruka. Everything. And just look at me."

"I don't know about you, but I like what I see." Ruka said with a slight smile; trying to lift the heavy mood a bit.

"Be serious, please."

"Oh I am, believe me. I am."

"Surely you'll get tired of me sooner or later."

"Believe me, that will only happen when hell freezes over. Do you think that I would waste my time waiting for three years just to leave you when fancy strikes me?"

"Your pal, Patricia Stevenson seems to think so." Hotaru said bitterly.

"Who?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Patricia Stevenson, one of your many ex-girlfriends. Blonde hair, long legs, annoying sing-song voice. Remember her now?" she asked sarcastically.

"I don't see what she's got to do with this, darling."

"Maybe the fact that she had pictures of you two snuggling in public has something to do with this." she snapped.

"Snuggling? There were photos of us snuggling in public?"

"Are you trying to tell me that I'm a liar?"

"Listen, sweetheart. I don't know what photos she showed you but the last time that I saw that girl was months before I even started courting you."

"The pictures tell me a different story." she sighed, "I should have known from the very start that a day like that the day would surely come."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked hotly.

"I guess I should have known that someone like me just can't hold the attention of someone like you."

"What the heck do you mean by that?" he asked disbelievingly. "Nothing's wrong with you. You're perfect just the way you are." he stated firmly.

"Oh really? I'm cold and vicious, I'm indifferent and I don't give a damn if people around me just keel over and die."

"That may be true but I know for a fact that underneath that rough exterior lives a total softie. You love animals and kids; and I know for a fact that you secretly adore those silly kiddie shows and stuffed bears that you pretend to hate. Knowing all these about you, how do you expect me to believe what you're saying?" Ruka askedaffectionately.

"Ruka, please. Stop telling me words that will eventually turn to lies."

"I'm not lying when I say all those, Hotaru. I'm not lying when I say that I love you. I always have and I always will."

"Please, stop telling me that. Can't we be just friends? Like we used to?"

"Hotaru...I..." Ruka sighed the said, "Fine, friends it is. I'm fine with that, for the time being."

"Ruka...."

"Don't argue, Hotaru. If you want us to be friends then that's fine with me but I can't promise you that I will be content to remain just friends forever." he said firmly.

"Fine. Suit yourself." Hotaru said in exasperation. "It's getting late, I think its probably time that we head back."

Ruka sighed. "You're right. Come, I'll drop you off your room."

"There's no need for you to do that, Ruka. I'm perfectly capable of finding my own way."

"Of that I have no doubt but I insist anyway. We're friends, right?"

Hotaru gave a sigh of defeat. "Alright, alright."

...

...

Ruka tentatively made his way to Natsume's bedchamber, it was the wee hours of the morning but he was quite sure that Natsume had not yet slept a wink since he left him alone hours ago. Natsume never was one to sleep on a problem; he was nothing but tenacious when it came to having his way and after the pain and the disappointment that he has been forced to endure, the least that Ruka could do was comfort him during his blackest moment; after all, Natsume did this for him as well, all those years back.

Ruka entered the bedchamber and his eyes instinctively sought out the familiar silhouette of his best friend. There he was, staring out the vast windows, his face was impassive yet his eyes were shuttered. He looked weary; aged somehow, as if he'd been to hell and back. This was not the Natsume that everyone has been accustomed to seeing; Ruka gave an inward sigh, getting him out of this state would prove to be harder than he initially thought. In all the years that he's known Natsume this was his first time to see him thus.

"Natsume." Ruka called softly.

As if he were hearing Ruka's voice from the end of a very long tunnel, Natsume slowly turned around and stared at him woodenly. His face devoid of any emotions but his eyes were pure devastation.

"Natsume, please talk to me." Ruka pleaded.

After a long moment, Natsume finally turned around and gave Ruka a devastated smile accompanied by a firm, "I'm fine, Ruka. Really. There's no need for you to worry."

"Do you really expect me to believe that ridiculous lie, Natsume? Please, give me some credit."

"Then what do you want me to tell you, Ruka?" he asked tiredly.

"The truth, Natsume. I just want the truth."

"The truth? You really want the truth? Fine. I'll give you the truth. Right now I feel as if my heart has been taken out of my chest, torn apart and stepped upon right infront of me. I feel as if a part of me has been taken away. I have never felt like this my entire life. Is this what love is, Ruka? Tell me."

"I wouldn't really know, Natsume. All I know is love isn't just about warm and happy feelings, loving someone means giving that person the power to hurt you like no one else can."

"Well that just sucks doesn't it. Isn't love supposed to be equal to bliss and contentment? Isn't it supposed to be all about being together, spending time with each other and just being plain happy?"

"That's an idealized vision of love, Natsume. Love isn't just about the good stuff, sometimes; maybe even most of the time, it's about being there for each other. Showing up for the hard parts. Love isn't always about warmth and sunshine and happiness, sometimes it also means going through the cold, grey nights of winters and thunderstorms yet knowing, always knowing that someone will be holding your hand through it all."

"But what if the person you love refuses to take your hand?"

"Then maybe you should just go ahead and grab hers." Ruka replied with a slight smile. " After all, whoever said that you're not allowed to clutch at her hand through it all?" he finished with a definite grin.

Natsume pondered on Ruka's last statement and after a moment of contemplative silence he finally said, "I think I love her, Ruka."

"I would think so too." Ruka replied with a smile.

"I love her." Natsume repeated firmly, " I love Mikan Sakura." He said it as if it were the most simple thing in this world.

"Yes, yes. I think we've established that fact. The question is, what do you plan to do?"

"If she refuses to hold my hand, then I'll just go ahead and grab hers. She's my one chance to genuine happines and I'm not letting her go."

"Then what the heck are you still waiting for?" Ruka said with a wide grin.

"I'm waiting for you to get the hell out of here so that I could change." Natsume replied with a playful yet thankful smile.

...

...

...

* * *

**a/n:** That ends my 14th chapter. LOVE it? HATE it? **DROP me a REVIEW, so I can continue**.

**Give me something that'll make me smile. :D  
**


	15. Resolution

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****

DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Gakuen Alice. All credits go to the great Higuchi Tachibana.

...

**a/n:** All my school work ended a few weeks ago and I could only use laziness as an excuse for typing up this one later than I originally planned. This story will be coming to an end soon and I would like to tell you guys that I have enjoyed every moment that I spent writing this, I hope that you are enjoying it as much as I did. ^^

Explanation of term(s):

**ornate-** excessively decorative: having elaborate or excessive decoration.

**unbeknownst- **without somebody knowing:happening without a particular person knowing about it.

**mooning- **wander aimlessly: to wander around in a dreamy or listless state, unable to concentrate on anything.

* * *

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**_Chapter 15. Resolution  
_**

...

...

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_"The world of the elite has been rather quiet lately could this be the inevitable  
_

_quiet before the storm? I really do wonder."  
_

_-Melissa's Society Papers-_

...

...

...

...

Mikan looked out the large, ornate windows; the sun was just about to set on the horizon and she has always loved watching the play of colors in the sky, it would first turn into a light shade of orange, darker and darker until it gave way to the inky blackness of the night sky. She continued gazing at the sky, thinking of the many changes that have suddenly taken place in her life, she never thought that she would end up finding her long lost family but now that she has, she couldn't be any happier.

_"I would never regret coming here but I just wish that I explained things better to Hyuuga-san; he looked so devastated when I refused to come over to his side."_ Mikan gave a long sigh at that, _"I never intended to hurt him, it's just that I wanted to find out for myself whether what Kenji-san told me was true."_

Unbeknownst to Mikan, Kenji has been watching her from the end of the corridor, he felt sorry that he was the one who caused her all this trouble but in the end he knows that it would all turn out for the best.

_"It's such a pity that Mikan-chan looks so sad right now, aside from being my cousin, she is a good person and I hate seeing her this way. I wonder if I did the right thing by immediately taking her here with me, perhaps I should have waited for that expo to end; I have not only caused my cousin pain, I suspect that I have hurt Hyuuga as well." _Kenji gave a deep sigh of his own, he didn't like the feeling of guilt that he was bearing right now._"The best way is for me to just approach her and apologize."_ he resolved silently.

Having made his decision, Kenji noiselessly made his way to Mikan's side and blandly asked, " Mikan-chan, what are you doing here?"

Mikan, startled by the his sudden appearance abruptly turned around saying, "Kenji-san, it's you."

"Sorry for startling you, it's just that you looked rather lonely standing here alone and I thought that you could use some company." he said sheepishly.

"No need to apologize" she said with a kind smile, "It was my own fault for standing here and mooning."

Kenji gave a deep sigh at that. "I'm sorry Mikan-chan, bringing you here right away may not have been the best course of action. I'm so sorry."

"That's not true Kenji-san. I'm really glad that you brought me here, I wouldn't exchange the chance of meeting my family again for anything in this world. Though I would like to explain everything to Hyuuga-san soon."

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to cause you trouble, Mikan-chan, especially with Hyuuga."

"No, please don't misunderstand. Hyuuga-san is my boss and nothing else but even if that is the case I would still like to explain my sudden disappearance. I don't want him to misunderstand."

"If that's the case, I guess I could explain it to him for you, Mikan-chan."

"Thank you but I wouldn't want to trouble you, Kenji-san"

"Not at all, doing that would be the least that I could do. After all, it was me who caused you all these trouble."

"Really, there is no need for you to that, Kenji-san. Explaining to him in person is only proper."

Something in Mikan's tone of voice clued Kenji on just how important Hyuuga's forgiveness and understanding was to his cousin. "Hyuuga is a really important person for you, isn't he?" he observedthoughtfuly.

"Pardon?" Mikan asked, a bit startled by his rather off remark.

"Hyuuga seems to be a really important person for you." he repeated.

Mikan blushed slightly at that comment. "I...you see...he..." she replied embarassedly.

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything else. I may have just met you but the answer is written so clearly on your face that only the most obtuse person would not understand." he said with an amused smile.

"That's not it. Please don't misunderstand. Hyuuga-san...he...well...he's my boss. Yes, that's it. He's my boss and well I...I owe him an explanation for ditching work without prior notice." Mikan babbled awkwardly.

"Yes, yes. Keep on telling yourself that then, Mikan-chan" Kenji said good-naturedly while ruffling her hair fondly.

"Really Kenji-san, you ought not to tease me so. Hmmmp, and just when I was starting to think how fortunate I was to have you for an older cousin."

"Now, now Mikan-chan, there's no need to get cross. Just because I was stating my observation and all."

"Kenji-san!"

"Alright. Alright. I'll stop harassing you for the time being." he said with a grin, "Dinner is due in 30 minutes. Go and freshen up, I'll see you later."

"Yup, yup. See you later then."

...

...

Natsume made his way to the entrance of their private airstrip, after hours of organizing he was finally able to leave the expo in the capable hands of his managing team. Beside him, Ruka was talking on the phone; he has graciously agreed to accompany Natsume to the Suoh mansion as his co-pilot.

"Are you sure that its alright with you if I came, Natsume?" he asked for the umpteenth time.

"Of course. I need you to come with me, Ruka. You have to offer me your moral support, this being your idea and all."

"Alright then, someone has to takeover the plane for you when things don't go well after all." he said with a smirk.

"Ha, thanks for the encouragement." he replied derisively.

"Nah, just kidding." Ruka replied with a grin.

"Thanks, Ruka. For everything." Natsume said, suddenly serious.

"Hey, there's no need for that. What are friends for? Besides, I'm quite sure that you would do the same for me."

"Of course but still, thanks. I owe you one."

"Damn right you do." he replied with a laugh.

...

...

It was dark when Natsume and Ruka finally saw the island that housed the Suoh family's impressive mansion. The island was the picture of perfection even in the dimming light of the approaching dusk, the outline of the impressive mansion; the Suoh family clearly spared no expense to build this paradise on earth.

"This is it, Natsume." Ruka told Natsume while showing him a couple of photos. "These are the photos that I received from the investigators, we better ask for their permission to land."

"Hmmmp. I don't need to ask for permission from anyone. I'll land where I want to." Natsume said stubbornly.

"Stop being so darned mulish, Natsume. I'm quite sure you know that we have to ask for permission to land on a private airstrip." Ruka said, a bit annoyed and as if to confirm Ruka's statement the plane's communication radio cackled with static and a voice broke through.

"This is the Suoh landing station radio communication, can you here me? Over."

Ruka stared at Natsume, his scathing look clearly communicating a wordless _I told you so_ to his best friend's currently blank face. "You better get that, Natsume. You are the pilot after all."

Natsume grudgingly took the communication radio and mildly said to the receiver, "Yes. This is Hyuuga Natsume pilot of the private aircraft _Amethyst _asking permission to land. Over."

"You are approaching private property. Over."

"We know that, that's why we're asking permission to land. Over." Natsume replied, a bit annoyed.

"I'm afraid that the decision would not be up to us, sir. We request the you remain airborne until we receive the permission to let you land. Over."

"Fine. Then would you to me a favor and let your young master know that Hyuuga Natsume is here to take back what he took. Over."

"Please be assured that we will relay your message and we request you to stand by until we acquire the go signal. Over and Out."

Natsume scowled at the receiver, muttering darkly to himself.

"Well that was very well done of you, Natsume. You just threatened the man who decides whether or not we could land. Great, just great."

"We're landing. Whether they give us permission or not."

Ruka groaned at his best friend's obstinate attitude. "Why, oh why, do I get stuck with this idiot for a best friend?" he muttered miserably.

"Idiot or not, I'm going to take Mikan back no matter what."

"Fine, then I guess all I could do is warm-up a bit and prepare to muscle our way to Sakura-san, contact our lawyers and then tell them to get ready to defend us in court for charges of trespassing, forced entry and physical assault." Ruka said sarcastically albeit with undertones of understanding, admiration and unwavering support.

"I don't think things will come to that." Natsume said with a slight smile, having no doubts whatsoever that Ruka won't hesitate to do just rgar if worse comes to worst. "Thanks, Ruka. Really." he said sincerely.

"What else can I do?" Ruka said with an exasperated sigh, accompanied with a playful wink and a smirk.

The sound of the radio coming to life once again cut short their playful banter. "This is the Suoh landing station communication radio; _Amethyst, _can you here me? Over."

"Yes, we can hear you loud and clear. Over."

"You have been given the permission to land. Over."

"Thank you. We will be landing in a few minutes. Over and Out." Natsume said into the receiver, he turned to Ruka with a wide grin and said, "Looks like we won't be needing those lawyers after all."

Ruka grinned and said in return, "Good."

...

...

"Mikan-chan, I have news for you." Kenji said a bit hesitantly.

Mikan, who was quick to read his hesitation asked, "Uh oh, bad news?"

"I'm not quite sure how you'll take this but I think it's best if you know anyway." he paused.

"Well in that case, I have no choice do I? Just go ahead and say it, I promise that I won't faint or go hysterical or anything of that sort."

"Hyuuga Natsume is here to see you."

"What? Where? Now?" Mikan asked, a bit panicked.

"Hey. You promised me that you won't get hysterical, right? Calm down a bit, Mikan-chan. He's not here yet."

"What do you mean by he's not here _yet._ Where exactly is he?"

"I received a phone call from our watch tower a few minutes ago, they said that a private aircraft by the name of _Amethyst _was asking for permission to land on our airstrip, Hyuuga is the pilot."

"How can he be here?" Mikan asked, her panic clearly showing.

"He said that he's here to take back what I took."

"What?"

"He's here to take you back, Mikan-chan." Kenji said with a brotherly smile.

"Take me back? I don't understand, Kenji-san." Mikan replied, clearly confused.

"I'm sure you'll understand what I'm saying when he gets here in a bit."

"When he gets here _in a bit?!?! _ You mean he's coming, now?"

"Yes."

"I...but...I'm not yet ready to see him."

"I thought you wanted to explain stuff to him, Mikan-chan."

"Yes but not this soon. I need sometime to think. To reflect and plan what I'm going to say to him." she said apprehensively.

"Look Mikan-chan, sometimes the best way to get things done is to just do it."

"But what if after all that I tell him, he still won't forgive me?"

"He specifically came here to find you, Mikan-chan. I think that ought to count for something."

Mikan gave a deep sigh. "You're right. All I could do now is explain everything to him and hope that he understands."

"Yes, that's more like it. You have nothing to be afraid of, we'll still be here when all of this is over." he said, giving Mikan a comforting pat on her shoulder.

...

...

Natsume guided the small plane to a smooth touch down, his face was a mask of calm and determination; he came here with a goal and he was not leaving until he has accomplished what he came here to do. Surprisingly, they were received by a man from the communication tower who said that they were given instruction to make sure that both Ruka and Natsume arrived safely to the mansion.

"If you would follow me sirs, I will take you to the main house." the man said with a polite bow.

The ride from the tarmac to the mansion was a quiet one; with Natsume staring off into space and Ruka eyeing his surroundings with interest. When they finally reached the elaborate gate that separated the outstanding mansion from the rest of the estate, the man finally spoke again saying, "I believe that you are expected inside, the door to the mansion is through this pathway; if you follow it I'm sure that you would have no trouble finding the door." He gave a polite bow, "I would be taking my leave then."

"Ready?" Ruka inquired as they were making their way to the mansion.

"Yes." was Natsume's only answer accompanied with a nod.

Natsume grabbed the intricately shaped doorknob and gave it one resounding door was opened by an elderly butler who gave them a low respectful bow while saying, "Welcome to the Suoh Mansion, both the Young Master and the Young Mistress have been expecting you. If you would please follow me, I would gladly direct you to the sitting room where they are both waiting."

_"Did I hear that right? Did this old man just refer to _my_ Mikan as the _young mistress_ of this house? What could this possibly mean?" _Natsume thought stormily as he followed the elderly butler through the halls, his best friend but forgotten. _"Whatever the case may be, I intend to find out. I'm not leaving this place without Mikan." _

In his preoccupation, Natsume did not notice that they have finally come to a stop and he would have continued walking had Ruka not grabbed him by his sleeves.

"Hyuuga-sama, Nogi-sama, the Young Master and Young Mistress are waiting for you inside." The butler gave them a low bow and rapped at the door and said, "Young Master, Young Mistress, your guests have arrived."

"You can let them in, Reivers. Thank you." a masculine voice replied from with in the room.

With those words, the elderly man opened the double doors wider and motioned for Natsume and Ruka to enter the door and at the sight of their guest Suoh Kenji stood up from where he was sitting saying, "Welcome to our home, Hyuuga and I see that you've brought Nogi-san with you as well. Excellent."

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**a/n:** That ends my 15th chapter. LOVE it? HATE it? **DROP me a REVIEW, so I can continue**.

**Please drop me a review, It would really make my day. :)  
**


	16. Bliss

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****

DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Gakuen Alice. All credits go to the great Higuchi Tachibana.

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**a/n:** Guys and Gals, this is it. We have finally come to the end of this fanfiction. Working on _The Billion Dollar Rake _has been both frustrating and rewarding. Every time you guys bother taking a few minutes of your time to read and drop me a review, I find that all the hours I spent holed up in my parents' room and staring blankly at the screen is all worth it. Thank you, for journeying with _The Billion Dollar Rake _and me. Thank you, thank you and I hope you enjoy. ^^

Explanation of term(s):

**respite- **brief interval of rest: a brief period of rest and recovery between periods of exertion or after something disagreeable.

**inkling- **hint: an indication of how to go about something.

**scant- **inadequate: not sufficient.

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**_Chapter 16. Bliss  
_**

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_"Since the issue at hand seems to require a certain amount of _

_subtelity and tact, I would like to clarify one vital fact and really dear _

_readers, you must swear that you wouldn't scorn and gag after I say _

_this. I ask you to be condescending and allow me to interpret your silence _

_as an affirmative to my request.__ Now, let me tell you that contrary to popular _

_belief, I do have some tact- indiscernible or otherwise- but the point is it's still_

_ there. Well now that I've clarified that let's get on with business, shall we? _

_I must say, that it's rather interesting, not to mention touching and a hundred_

_other sentiments of that sort, when we hear that a man chases after the_

_love of his life, don't you think? So let me just say one thing, good luck to_

_the gentleman in question and don't worry, I won't say who you are just yet."  
_

_-Melissa's Society Papers-_

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_"Welcome to our home, Hyuuga and I see that you've brought Nogi-san with you as well. Excellent."_

Natsume purposefully strode to where Mikan was currently standing behind Suoh Kenji; her small hands clutching his arms as if it were her lifeline. Natsume eyed her intensely, his eyes burning with the questions that he wanted to ask. The sight of her holding on to him like pierced at his heart painfully and he was immediately flooded with thoughts of grabbing and holding on to her for all he was worth.

His stormy thoughts however, were interrupted by Kenji's benign voice saying, "Hyuuga-san, Nogi-san, please be seated and if we could offer you some refreshments?"

"Cut the polite shtick, Suoh. We didn't come here for that." Natsume growled and beside Kenji, Mikan gasped audibly.

Ruka, who up until then, was standing near the doorway, came forward and took hold of Natsume's arm, dragging him to the sofa and muttering, "Sit, you idiot. It won't do to act hostile and impolite." after saying this, he turned around to address their hosts who, by that time have both resumed their seats on the sofa parallel to where he and Natsume were both sitting; and said, "Thank you, we would appreciate some refreshments, neither of us have eaten a bite since breakfast."

"Then in that case, we would gladly offer you some. Mikan-chan, do you mind going to the kitchen for a bit? Ask them to prepare some tea and sandwiches perhaps? It would be quicker than if you ring the bell and wait for someone to come." Kenji said emphatically.

Mikan stood up, clearly glad for a momentary respite from Natsume's intense gaze. "Of course." she said with a taut smile albeit grateful smile.

Natsume, Kenji and Ruka watched as Mikan shut the door behind her and when Mikan's footsteps finally grew softer, Kenji cleared his throat and said, "Hyuuga-san, things aren't as bad as they seem. Please don't be too harsh on her and let her explain."

"If someone here should explain something it's you. Had you not come, everything would've been perfectly all right." Natsume hissed at him venomously.

"Please, all I ask of you is to give us the benefit of the doubt. I could tell you what this is really all about but I believe that Mikan-chan can do the job a lot better than I can ever hope to achieve."

"You want me to give you the benefit of the doubt? How can I possibly do that when I don't have even an inkling to what is going on."

Kenji let out a heartfelt sigh, "I can see no point, whatsoever, of explaining anything to you when all you clearly want to do is throttle me. So I believe that it is best if I leave all the elucidating to Mikan-chan."

As if on cue, they heard the rhythmic clunking of Mikan's footsteps down the hall and Kenji once more tried to appeal for his cousin by urgently whispering, "Just remember Hyuuga-san, you must let her say her piece. Don't judge her prematurely for I believe that you will both get unnecessarily hurt if you do that."

Mikan announced her arrival by knocking three times and proceeding to the seat she previously occupied and when she was settled, she cleared her throat awkwardly saying, "I come bearing refreshments." It was clear that she was trying for a lighthearted tone but was quite miserably faling.

The atmosphere in the room was such that nobody knew what to reply to that and Ruka, taking pity on the obviously uneasy Mikan stood up and said, "Well I suppose we better leave you and Natsume alone"

Kenji immediately raised his objection, "I believe that there is no need for that," he said sharply.

"On the contrary, I believe there _is _every need." Ruka contradicted.

"There is nothing that Mikan-chan will say that I have no knowledge of." He argued.

"Well, that may be true but there is nothing that Natsume will say that you know anything about. I believe they both deserve their privacy."

Kenji sighed in resignation, "You do have a point, Nogi-san but I refuse to leave if Mikan-chan do not allow me to do so." He said, looking at Mikan for her permission."

"It's okay, Kenji-san. Nogi-san is right, it would be better if Hyuuga-san and I can talk in private." Mikan replied hesitantly.

Kenji gave another sigh, "Then in that case, I think it's best if we leave now. Come along, Nogi-san" He said, motioning for Ruka to follow him but before closing the double doors, he couldn't resist turning back to say, "Remember what I told you, Hyuuga-san."

...

...

Kenji lead Ruka to a parlor just down the hall from the sitting room they recently vacated, he motioned for Ruka to sit down and presently went to the side of the room to ring for more food to be brought up to the parlor.

"I assume that you still want the food?" Kenji asked blandly after settling himself comfortably on the armchair opposite Ruka's.

"Well I must admit that I really am hungry." Ruka replied with a careless shrug, "I didn't just say that just to get Natsume to calm down so I guess yes, I'd appreciate the refreshments."

After a tensed minute of silence, Kenji finally broke the ice by saying, "I can assure you Nogi-san, that there is a perfectly reasonable explanation behind the recent turn of events."

"I do hope so, Suoh-san. We didn't come here looking for a fight, we merely came seeking an explanation but if there isn't sufficient reason...." Ruka let his deceptively calm statement trail off, bringing an unbidden smile to the other man's face.

"Did you just threaten me? And in my own home to boot." Kenji raised an incredulous brow.

Ruka gave another careless shrug, "You can interpret it in whatever way you wish."

Kenji laughed thunderously at Ruka's boldness and said, "You're a good person, Nogi-san. A good friend, and I believe that I would like you better as an ally than as an enemy."

Ruka raised his brows as that, "Meaning?"

"After all the cards have been laid on the table and when all has been said and done, I believe that we could be great friends indeed." Kenji replied with a warm smile.

"Well, I believe that won't be too hard to manage." Ruka replied with a grin of his own.

Their friendly chatter was interrupted by the arrival of the refreshments.

"Ah, excellent. The refreshments came right on time. Help yourself to the scones Nogi-san, there's nobody who does them better than our cook. There's no sense in worrying over those two, I think they will get along just fine."

Ruka laughed and said, "Well then don't mind if I do."

...

...

Both Mikan and Natsume watched as Kenji and Ruka closed the door firmly behind them. Mikan was thankful to have a cousin as supportive as Kenji and as much as she wanted him to stay and offer her moral support, she really thinks that it would benefit everybody more if she just gritted her teeth and do what must be done.

She chanced another covert glance at Natsume's direction and found, quite to her surprise, that he was chewing on a sandwich that she brought with the refreshments just a few scant minutes ago. Though how he managed to retain his appetite at a situation such as this one was quite beyond her comprehension.

"Men."

She muttered the single word with enough force that Natsume looked up from his sandwich and inquired, "I beg your pardon?"

"Nothing." She denied blatantly, "Kenji-san mentioned about something he asked you to do?"

"It's nothing of consequence, Mikan."

"Well if you say so then." Mikan replied hesitantly.

They lapsed into another uncomfortable silence after that and Natsume, who quite frankly, had not really thought of what he was going to say to Mikan once they met again, only had one thing in his mind and that was to haul Mikan to his arms and kiss her senseless or at least until she agreed with him that they belonged together.

_"Oh for heaven's sake, Hyuuga. Get a grip. Get a bloody grip." _he thought savagely, biting on a particularly delicious scone.

His thoughts however, were interrupted by Mikan's hesitant, "Well I suppose I owe you an apology, Hyuuga-san. Running of just like that, I must've caused quite a mess. I'm really sorry."

Natsume remained silent after that and he looked as if he was trying to figure out a particularly difficult set of riddles.

"Hyuuga-san?" Mikan inquired hesitantly.

"Why is it that you call me _Hyuuga-san_ while you call Suoh _Kenji-san_?" Natsume asked, visibly upset.

Mikan, who was expecting a different reply altogether tentatively asked, "I beg your pardon?"

"I said-"

"I heard what you said but I'm not quite sure what you meant when you said them."

"I believe that I've asked you once to refer to me by my given name but you've never done so."

"Hyuuga-san, I believe I don't quite understand what you mean by all this but the point of the matter is, I would like to apologize."

"Apologize?"

"For running off without prior notice."

"That's easy for you to say. Honestly Mikan, do you have any idea what kind of trouble I went through just to reach you?"

"I'm sorry." Mikan replied remorsefully.

"It's a good thing I love you so well." Natsume said matter-of-factly.

Mikan blinked twice and opened her mouth to say something in reply but she found that all she could manage was a rather embarrassing, "gah...gah..gah..."

"Really love, you ought to stop doing that, I believe you're beginning to resemble a fish. A quite fetching fish to be sure but a fish nonetheless." Natsume said with an amused smile.

"You- you love....me?" Mikan asked, when she finally recovered her power of speech.

"Why else do you think would I have come here?"

"I don't know, to fire me, I guess." she replied with a shrug.

"I would never do that." Natsume said with a slight frown, "Though there is the fact that you took off with Suoh without any explanation."

"I- I guess there is that." Mikan replied timidly.

"Won't you explain now because I seriously doubt that I can hold on to my sanity any longer." Natsume said tautly.

Mikan glanced up at Natsume's taut statement and sure enough, what she saw when she looked into his eyes was a carefully leashed fury that told her that in spite of his earlier flip comments, there were still questions that he wanted answered and Mikan, not wanting to provoke him any farther chose to tell him the whole unvarnished truth.

"He's my cousin." She said simply.

"He's your what?" Natsume asked incredulously, obviously not believing what he just heard.

"It's the truth." Mikan said with a shrug, "Kenji-san _is _my cousin. I can't do anything if you don't believe that."

"I don't understand, how can he be your cousin?"

"My mother was his father's youngest sister. Even I didn't know that up until a few days ago." Mikan replied.

"Your mother was the youngest daughter of the Suoh family?"

"Yes. Her name was Lilian Suoh before she married my father. This necklace was given to Mama by Grandpa when she turned 18." Mikan replied, raising up the necklace for Natsume to see.

"I can't believe it, you really are the missing granddaughter! My mother would be so delighted! So that was why you came here?"

"That's right."

"So you came here to see your Grandfather and not because you like Suoh?"

"Well I do like him, he is my cousin after all but yes, I wouldn't have gone with him had I not known that he was cousin."

Natsume smiled happily at that, "I do love you, Mikan and I'm willing to everything so that you can love me too."

"You love me? Me?"

"Yes."

"Plain old me?"

"There's nothing plain about you love, nobody can hold a candle to your beauty. You're kind and smart, you're understanding and patient enough not to clobber me when I act like a complete ass."

Mikan laughed at that, "I love you too, Natsume. Not because of your looks or your money but simply because you're you."

"Did I hear that correctly, did you just say that you're love me too?" Natsume asked ecstatically.

"You're charming and kind, loving and completely devoted to your Mother and Father. How could I not love you?" Mikan replied simply and it was at that moment that Natsume finally did what he has been wanting to do since he saw her.

He strode to where Mikan was standing, hauled her off her feet and kissed her. Passionately. The kiss conveyed all the other things that he wanted to say; his worry when she left, his fear that she would be taken away from her, his happiness that she was finally in his arms and most specially, his love for her.

Somehow, all the heartache and pain that he experienced were all worth it; the gnawing jealousy at the pit of his stomach whenever she as much as glanced at another man, the awkward stuttering that he was reduced to whenever she was around, the ingenious and often hilarious scheming he does just to ensure her company. Somehow, all of them are reduced to nothing by this one simple fact: The love of love his life is now safely in his arms and he's not planning to let go anytime soon and the knowledge of that was just bliss.

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**a/n: **I guess that's it guys and gals. The end has finally come. I hope you enjoyed. ^^

**Do me one last favor and drop me a review, it would make all the effort worth it. Please and Thank you! ^^  
**


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